


The Reason Why

by Sophitia74



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-05-12 01:11:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 57
Words: 141,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5648338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophitia74/pseuds/Sophitia74
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We generally have a million reasons as to why we do something. However, there is always that one person that becomes your reason for something amazing.</p><p> </p><p>Baseball AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to start this New Year with a new fic! :D There will be warnings over certain chapters because this fic will be heavier than others I've posted. 
> 
> This fic is based around baseball. Yes I know women play softball generally, but honestly speaking I know so much more about baseball. So let's pretend that Women's baseball is freaking popular. :P

The sun shined way too brightly over Ali's eyes. She specifically remembers telling Matthew to keep their bedroom curtains closed so the sun wouldn't shine on her side of the bed as she slept. But once again it was small things that he did, unknowingly or not, it still grinded on her nerves. She pulled one of the extra pillows over her head and let out a small groan. Ali did not want to get up, not because it was seven in the morning but because it was going to be her first day at her new job. She wanted to mull over that detail but it proved impossible when she heard Matthew's rather heavy footsteps thud into their bedroom. She felt the her edge of the bed dip under the weight of her husband. 

"Alex, you know you have to get up right?" Matthew asked as he removed the pillow from his wife's head and gave her kiss despite her morning breath. "I made breakfast."

Ali turned her head slightly, "You didn't have to." She mumbled into her forearm while looking at him from the corner of her eye. 

Matthew sighed and laid a hand on her back. "I wanted to, really. There's no ulterior motive behind it."

Ali stayed silent for a bit and decided that there was no harm in accepting his breakfast, he looked sincere enough. "Thank you."

Matthew smiled. Ali was so accustomed to that smile. The way his blue eyes got smaller and little lines spread from the corners of his eyes while his mouth revealed perfectly straight white teeth. It was the smile that won her over in college when he first asked her out, when he asked her to be his girlfriend, when he asked her to move in with him, when he asked her to marry him, and when he asked her to forgive him. Ali always joked when they were younger that he'd be a dentist because of his perfect smile, never did she think she'd actually be right with that assumption. 

"So you'll get up?" Matthew asked. 

Ali playfully rolled her eyes at his persistence, even though she had clearly told him thank you which meant she was going to eat breakfast, she knew Matthew well enough to know that he was always a stickler for the literal way. 

"Yes, I'll eat breakfast and get ready." Ali replied and sat up, giving her husband's thigh a pat before swinging her legs over to the edge. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her as if she'd make a mistake or surprise him, either way it was a bit annoying. "You don't have to watch me Matthew, I'm just going to brush my teeth then I'll join you for breakfast."

"I know, sorry. It's just you're beautiful you know, can't blame a guy for staring." Matthew apologized and stood, he gave Ali a rather deep kiss before heading off to the dining room. 

Ali brushed her teeth and took a quick shower realizing that she probably wouldn't have enough time for her more longer preferred showers. She stepped out and quickly dressed in jeans and a simple but good flowing shirt. After she finished, Ali made her way into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. 

"Already filled your mug babe." Matthew said over his shoulder. Ali smiled her thanks before sitting down with him at the table and eating the breakfast he made her. "So are you excited for your new job?"

Ali shrugged with a small chuckle. "I'd say more of a mixture of both nerves and excitement. It's really hard to distinguish which is which if I'm being honest." 

Matthew nodded and they finished up their breakfast before heading back into their bedroom to grab their work items. Ali busied herself while checking for any texts from family, friends, or work. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Matthew standing in only his boxer briefs, she couldn't help but stare after all he is her husband and she couldn't deny the fact that his body was in very good shape, but a small part of her wanted to avert her eyes. While stuck in her internal battle, Ali didn't notice that Matthew had caught her wandering eyes and made his way over to her. His slightly cold hands on her hips and mint smelling breath was enough to break her from her thoughts. 

"You like what you see?" Matthew asked with a smirk before connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. His hands gripped her hips tightly before lowering down to her ass and getting a handful of of it. 

Ali moaned into his mouth, as she pushed her tounge into his mouth and had both hands splayed on his bare, broad chest. Although she was caught in the kiss, she could feel her fingers graze over the slightly curly chest hair that somewhat painted his chest, the feeling of it brought her back to their college days where he lost a bet with her and she made him dye his entire chest hair green. Her hands moved up from his chest to boad shoulders to his clean shaven face so she could pull him deeper into the kiss. 

Ali could feel her husband's now warm hands reach under her shirt and slowly ascend until his fingers edged her bra cups up and palmed her breasts. Ali gasped into the kiss and went back to grip his shoulders, she could feel him lead her to their bed and onto her back and felt his familiar weight between her thighs. His lips were all over her neck in hot, open mouthed kisses that envoked low moans from Ali's lips. His hips ground into her covered center but Ali could tell that he was more than turned on. Her eyes flickered open for second and caught the time on the bedside alarm clock. 

"Matt." Ali said, trying to get him to pay attention. He gave her some sort of primal grunt in response but continued his assault of kisses while he popped the button on her jeans. "Matt! Stop." Ali said with more force and a slight tug of his dark brown hair that curled a bit at the tips.

Matthew popped up like a Prarie dog with a confused expression. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No," Ali gently eased him off of her and sat up. "But we're going to be very late for work if we even try."

Matthew leaned forward and kissed her again, "I can be really fast babe."

Ali smiled at his whiney tone and ran her nails up his thigh, smirking when she heard the hitch in his breath. "No can do, besides I don't want it to be fast and I don't want to be late on my first day at my new job, plus I already showered."

Matthew relented with a groan and nodded, "Tonight?"

Ali giggled with a nod, and buttoned up her jeans again as Matthew went about hiding his obvious arousal in his dark blue dental scrubs. "I'll see you later Matt, I'm heading out first." Ali informed and gave him another kiss before grabbing her keys.

"Babe you got this, you'll be amazing today." Matthew called out as she left. 

●●●●●●

Ali was nervous, that much was known. Maybe it was her profuse sweating, or her erratic swearing whenever someone would drive too slow, it even could've been the amount of people she cut off in the span of a few roads that showed you how much of nervous wreck she was. But nonetheless, she powered on and finally pulled into the parking lot of the DC baseball stadium. The place was huge and Ali only had a few minutes before she considered late, and by the size of building she was most likely going to be late. She grabbed her bag and jogged into the stadium asking for help along the way. She ended up in an office in the same hallway as the locker room, and various exercise, training and medical rooms.

She knocked once and heard a man's voice let her in. 

"Ah it's great to see you Ali." The man in a sports polo and khaki pants said. He had a heavy Australian accent which made her name sound like 'Ah-leh'. "As you probably already know from the email, I'm Andy Cahoone, the head coach for the DC women's baseball team, the Senators. I hope you know a little about them, I know baseball wasn't on your resumé, but I think you'd be a great fit here."

"I won't lie, I'm not the biggest baseball fan, men or women's but I think I could get the hang of it really quickly." Ali stated with a smile.

"Glad to hear that." Andy clapped and reached over onto a separate table and retrieved her uniform that consisted of long and short khakis and black pants, some tights, short and long sleeves polo shirts, and a hoodie and puffy jacket. "We have to have you all decked out in the Senator's gear, so as you can tell these are your uniforms. You can match whichever ones you want, and here are your ID credentials, you'll need them whenever you're in the stadium and when you travel with us. Don't worry, we will definitely provide you with a lot more sets as time goes on."

"Okay, is there any place I can go and change?" Ali asked while holding the sets of clothing.

"Yes, follow me." Andy led her out of the office and into another office with her name on the door. "This is your office, it has a locker inside for your clothing and personal items, there's your desk and computer for whatever needs you might have for it, and there's a your own private restroom, so you change inside there. Once you're done meet me in the hallway and I'll take you to meet the girls."

"That's fine with me." Ali smiled. After she changed, she felt her phone vibrate with a text from Matthew.

**Matthew: You got this babe, have a great day! Love you :)**

Ali smiled at his sentiment and sent him one back. 

**Ali: Thank you baby. I'll tell you all about it when I get home. I love you more :***

Ali pocketed her phone in the khaki shorts she was given and left the office to meet Andy in the hallway. 

"Okay, time to meet the girls, they're getting ready for their morning practice session so things are gonna be a bit rowdy in the locker room. Later on I'll show you to the recovery room." Andy said with a slight warning and his hand on the locker room door. 

"I think I can handle it." Ali chuckled. 

"Alrighty then." Andy pushed open the locker room door to reveal a bunch of half naked women in spandex, baseball shorts, sports bras and open baseball jersey shirts. Some even had the black camouflage paint streaked under their eyes. Some were dancing around singing some kind of insider's song. Overall the locker room looked like a mad man's home.

"Well, meet the Senators." Andy chuckled.


	2. Meet the Senators

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update!

Ali just stared on wide eyed because of the scene in front of her. She knew teams were close and practically like a second family, but man did it look more like a frat house during Greek week. It seemed like they still hadn't even noticed their presence in the locker room.

"Well, meet the Senators." Andy chuckled softly before clapping his hands together loudly and grabbing their attention. "Ladies, listen up! I know yall were sad to see our other physical trainer leave-" a few strangled laughs, chuckles and snorts ran through the locker room. "-But we have a new one. Her name is Alexandra Krieger and I expect you all to give her a warm welcome. Anything that hurts, Krieger's your go to woman. Practice is in 15, I expect you all out there and ready." With that said Andy patted Ali's shoulder and left the locker room.

The Senators just stared at Ali and for some reason she felt completely bare in front of them despite their own lack of attire. The room was silent for a bit until one woman with light brown hair and a few freckles stepped forward, she was probably one of the most clothed out of the rest the women. She had her hand extended to Ali with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Alexandra, I'm Heather but everyone calls me HAO because of my initials." HAO smiled. 

Ali eagerly shook her hand back. "Nice to meet you as well HAO, but I'd actually feel better if you called me Ali. Alexandra just feels too parent like."

"That I can do. Well as you can see our team is quite odd in the morning. I hope we didn't scare you with our antics." HAO joked.

"No it's okay, this is better than what I'd imagined." Ali replied. 

"And what was that?" A voice said from the group of women. 

"I had this weird thought that you all would be super mean looking or something." Ali shrugged with a slight bashful look on her face. 

"We're baseball players not football or rugby players." A blonde pixie cut woman laughed. "But that aside, I'm Pinoe, and you're a lot more easy on the eyes than our old physio guy Gustavo."

"Thank you, and I guess I'll meet the rest of you after practice." Ali stated and turned on her heels to leave the locker room. 

"She is smokin hot, like damn where was she in our beginning seasons?" Pinoe said with a weird groan that earned her a slap across the head. "Ow Syd, really?"

"What are you blind? I could totally see the ring on her finger, she's taken Pinoe." Sydney chastised. 

"Well shit, I was busy looking at her breasts, sue me." Pinoe grumbled. 

Arms went around Pinoe's head and rubbed her knuckles into the blonde's hair "Syd, don't worry about our resident pervert."

"Can it Harris." Pinoe glared while trying to remove her arms from giving her a rather hard nookie. "You're lucky you're our pitcher or else I would bite your damn fingers off."

Ashlyn laughed and stuck her tounge out before letting Pinoe go with a little shove. "Let's go bitches, we got practice."

Tobin and Alex just laughed and followed their pitcher out from the locker room after getting dressed. Pinoe rolled her eyes and got dressed like everyone else.

●●●●●●

Ali sat in the dugout whole watching the Senators practice. She was never really a fan of baseball although her brother played it in his youth, Ali only followed him to games because she had to and she loved the soft pretzels. So seeing a professional team up close and personal was exciting, more exciting than she thought it would be initially. Ali's eyes naturally gravitated over to the batters, if there was any part of baseball that Ali could say she was a fan of it would definitely be the home runs. There was nothing more exciting than seeing a home run or a grand slam with the bases loaded and hearing the crowd go wild. 

She then turned to the area where she saw some people standing in the outfield; the further most part of the field where most of the grass were. They were standing very far apart whole throwing hard passes together but each person caught it like it was easy. She also saw a long haired blonde standing on the mound in the middle of the baseball diamond throwing curve, fast, hangers, and low balls like they were nothing. 

Andy's voice broke her from her thoughts and saw as they assembled together in a huddle before splitting into teams to play what Ali thought was a practice game. She saw a few of the women go to the outfield and some stayed in the infield. The long hair blonde stayed on the pitcher's mound, she now donned a ponytail and a baseball cap with the brim turned forward and the Senator's logo on full display. 

Ali recognized Pinoe along with some others standing at the home plate with their bats.

"Alright ladies let me show yall how it's done. They don't call me Slugger for nothing." Pinoe practically yelled out and tipped her batter's helmet down onto her head and did a couple of flashy practice swings. "Lay it on me Harris, and I'll try to go easy on you."

"I'm pretty sure they called you Slug because of your slow ass swing." Ashlyn chuckled at the pitcher's mound and licked her three forefingers before getting ready to pitch. "You ready?"

"Ready to fuck you up." Pinoe mumbled. 

Ashlyn looked on at the catcher behind Pinoe, she shook her head at a few pitches the catcher wanted her throw before finally settling on one she liked. She tapped her cap with her glove before winding up for the throw and release which was a straight fast ball that flew past Pinoe's swing and into the catcher's mitt. 

"Strike one Pinoe, I've seen you hit better than that." Andy yelled from the dugout.

"You mean hit on women, because that's what she's good at." The catcher, Whitney joked. 

"Hey Harris, how about you tell your bestie here to shut it!" Pinoe shouted as she readied her swing again. 

"How about you focus on hitting, leave Whit out of this." Ashlyn called before throwing a curve ball that Pinoe connected on enough to hit a hard ground ball past the third base. She easily made it to first base before Tobin had a chance to pass it to the first baseman, so she tossed it back to Ashlyn. 

"Haha! In your face Harris!" Pinoe gloated. "You're up Syd."

Ali turned to Andy, "Are they usually like this?"

"Pretty much, this is their way of showing their competitive spirits. They joke around quite a but on a lot of days they're pretty much no nonsense. I guess since it's the start of the season, they're having a bit of fun to shake off the dust." Andy replied, he was watching the practice match unfold as he answered Ali but got a bit frustrated when he saw Ashlyn strike out a fourth person. "The object of the game to hit the ball, not watch it fly past you!"

"That pitcher is really good. I don't know much about baseball but I can tell she's really good." Ali pointed out. 

"Yup that's our team's pride and joy right there. Her name is Ashlyn Harris, straight out Florida. Was a huge high school and college athlete, highly coveted athlete and somehow DC got her." Andy chuckled to himself. "The pitches she can throw will rival any man's in the MLB I can tell ya that much." 

Ali nodded and watched as the fifth batter walked off the home plate frustrated after striking out. Ali's eyes flickered to the pitcher, she was met with hazel eyes darkened by the brim of her cap before they flicked away and landed back on the catcher.

Practice continued on with Ashlyn playing as the neutral pitcher, practically striking out almost everyone and only batting for the losing team. It turned out that Ashlyn was as much as a good batter as she was a terrific ptcher. She came on when all the bases were loaded and hit a grand slam, making the losing the new winning team. 

●●●●●●

"Alright ladies, excellent practice! The season starts in three weeks, I expect everyone on the top of their game by then, Boston will be our first opponents and we all know how their pitcher is. Shower up and head home, and don't forget to stop by Ali's office for physio if you need it, Ashlyn that's you, go get your elbow checked out." Andy barked before leaving the locker room.

"Got it coach." Ashlyn replied. 

"Lucky you, you get some time with our sexy trainer. Married or not the woman is fine, just remember to drool in your mind and don't scare her off." Pinoe said while sneaking up on her but Whitney snapped her with a towel. "Holy crap!"

"Cool your libido, Pinoe jeez." Whitney said and shook her head before heading to the showers. 

"Why don't we have a night out to welcome Ali, I think she'd like that?" Tobin asked while taking off her cleats.

"We could totally do that, nice idea Tobs." Alex grinned. 

Sydney rolled her eyes at the two women, "Of course you'd agree with Tobin. You two are practically-"

Ashlyn left the locker room so she didn't have to hear them bicker and headed down to the recovery room where Ali should be. She hopped up on one of the tables and watched as she worked up one of the captains, Abby.

Once Ali finished with Abby, Abby gave Ashlyn a firm pat on the shoulder. "You looked good out there."

"I feel great." Ashlyn grinned. 

Ali was wipping her hands as the interaction took place, she waited until Abby left the room to approach Ashlyn. 

"I'm Ashlyn, I don't think I got to introduce myself beforehand." Ashlyn said with a smile. 

"I know who you are, Andy told me while you pitched. So what brings you here?" Ali replied while resting her hands on the table.

"My uh elbow is feeling good but a bit stiff." Ashlyn said with a bit of a grimace as she tried to move her right elbow.

"Alright," Ali held her wrist with one hand and used the other hand to look at her elbow. She could see the long scar that went along the inside curve of Ashlyn's elbow. Her eyes flickered up to Ashlyn's whose were watching her intently. "You had surgery for Tommy John's." Ali recognized the scar but wanted to be sure. 

"Yea, a year ago, took me out of the season." Ashlyn answered. "It's been feeling good since I recovered but if I pitch too much it gets a bit stiff and is sore if I try to extend it fully."

Ali nodded and went over to the drawers and pulled out some cream. "This should alleviate the stiffness and soreness but try to keep the extension to a minimum for the rest of the day. Your elbow looks healthy, but I think you might've pushed yourself too far with the match like pitches."

Ashlyn chuckled, "Yea probably so. Hey um the team is going out for drinks and wanted to know if you'd come with, it'd be a great chance to know us better."

"Yes, I'd love to, just send me the details and I'll be there." Ali smiled. 

"Of course," Ashlyn wrote her number down on a pad of paper and Ali did the same before they exchanged numbers. "I'll text you when I know where we're going. See ya tonight Ali."

"Yea see you then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things pertaining to the storyline will be revealed as time goes on.


	3. Dinner With the Senators

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all are a lovely bunch, so I decided to squeeze in one more update tonight. :D
> 
> Now a heads up, there is some short, not too graphic smut between Ali and her husband. Just thought yall love the heads up ;)

Ashlyn tossed her sports bags onto the ground near the entrance and stepped aside so the other women could come inside. She looked as if she were dancing as she tried avoid their bags as they practically threw them at her feet.

"Hey assholes, I may not have to run a lot since I'm the pitcher but how about yall try not to break my feet." Ashlyn called out and kicked their bags into the corner.

"Get over it, Princess Peach." Pinoe snickered and waltzed into the kitchen. 

Alex was already in her fridge looking for something to eat, while Pinoe had bread, meat and cheese already on the counter to assemble a sandwich. 

"Ooo make me one too." Abby called from the couch as she and Hope hooked up the Playstation 4.

"You guys are parasites." Ashlyn joked and sat in the recliner.

"But you wouldn't have it any other way." Whitney and HAO said at the same time.

"You two are good, the rest though." Ashlyn replied and reclined the seat back. "So where are we going tonight? I already invited Ali I just need to text her the details."

"I vote the club!" Syd practically screeched. 

Abby snortes. "No way jailbait. Security would be on our asses if we came to the club with you in tow."

"Hey, I'm old enough to drink!" Syd said as she slapped the back of Abby's head rather forcefully.

"Dammit Syd!" Abby yelled as Hope shot her player during the Call of Duty Black Ops 3 game they were playing. "Best three out of five?"

"You're on, just make sure to call Sarah because you'll be here all night as I whoop your butt." Hope insulted.

"Ignoring the children and Jailbait Diva over there. Why don't we just go to dinner?" HAO suggested while Sydney pouted.

"I like it, that way I could actually have food in my fridge." Ashlyn agreed. 

"Free food? You know I'm in." Pinoe said around a mouthful of her sandwich. 

Alex gave her a look of disgust. "Ugh, anyways, how are we going to go out to dinner without people asking for pics and autographs. Don't even get me started on the paparazzi."

"The season hasn't even started yet, I think we'll be fine." Whitney reassured. 

"Please, preseason drama can always happen, just ask Pinoe when she had that sexcapade gone wrong last season." Alex reminded.

"Hey, I issued my apologies. Besides they should thank me anyways, their magazines were always boring as shit. I gave them something to talk about, which gave people a to buy their crap." Pinoe interjected and finished her sandwich. "But I'm with the masses, dinner sounds good."

Ashlyn clapped her hands, "Great, I'll see what reservations I can get us." 

●●●●●●

Ali gripped on Matthew's hair and back, her legs encircled his waist as his hips met her own. Her nails ran down his back as she felt herself be pushed over the edge from his thrusts. She brought his head down lower so that she could kiss him deeply as she felt his thrusts become more erratic and his breath cover her face from his moans. Once he came, Ali kissed him deeply once more giving him a little push to ease up on his body weight which was resting fully on her.

"I love you." Matthew breathed and kissed her deeply again while running his hand up her bare abdomen stopping just below her breasts. 

Ali gave a small smile and pecked his lips. "I love you too."

Matthew grinned and kissed down her neck again, trying to start up another round of sex. Ali loved sex with her husband because sex with him was great but there were always those particular dates hanging in her mind whenever they were intimate. It nagged her enough that sometimes she couldn't look at him without holding it against him, but as always she tried to push the thoughts away and fell under the spell of her husband's mouth closing around her clit and his fingers pumping out of her center. Her eyes fell closed and her breathing became heavy as she felt that unmistakable wall of pleasure building up. Her hands found purchase in his hair and her thighs tightened around his head. Ali could feel his fingers curl upward as he stroked her to and through her orgasm that had her yelling.

As Ali's breathing came back to her, she heard her phone vibrate rather loudly through their bedroom. Although it was a incredibly rude to check your phone during sex, Ali felt compelled to do so. So she swiped it from the bedside dresser and saw Ashlyn's name as the bright phone screen illuminated their bedroom.

**Ashlyn: Hey Ali, the team is going out to dinner in Georgetown at Delucca's Bar and Grill at 8. The reservation is under my name, we'll be waiting, hope you can make it.**

Ali smiled and typed out her response that she'd be there. She gave Matthew's hair a bit of a tug to get his attention. 

"What's up babe?" Matthew asked as he rubbed the inside of her thighs. 

Ali leaned up on her elbows, "I have to go. The team is having a get together dinner tonight and I'm invited."

"Do you have to go? I mean we're pretty busy." Matthew chuckled. 

"Yes, I have to go. It's my new job and I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with them. Also it good to make bonds with the players beyond the locker room, it makes my job easier and more enjoyable." Ali explained while moving her body out from under him and headed towards the bathroom. She had about an hour and a half to get ready and be over there. 

Ali pull on her nice black skinny jeans, a white flowing tank top, a waist length dark brown jacket and her black boots that had a nice sized heel. She was applying her makeup as Matthew stepped out of the bathroom in his pyjamas and leaned on the door frame. 

"I guess I'm stuck making dinner by myself huh." He asked. 

"Yes, and I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you in the morning with breakfast." Ali apologized and gave him a kiss before grabbing both her car keys and purse.

"I'd settle for morning sex you know. No better present from you in my opinion." Matthew smirked while leaning on his elbows on the bed. Practically baring himself to his wife, showing her his arousal in an attempt to get her to stay. 

Ali gave him a look that almost said shut up. But she turned back to give him one last kiss before leaving for the restaurant.

●●●●●●

Ali pulled up to Delucca's with minutes to spare and quickly told the people at front Ashlyn's name for the reservation. They took her to the back tables of the restaurant where she was met with the entire Senator's team. Each player got up and gave Ali a hug while introducing themselves to her before taking their seats, Ali took the only open one which was between HAO and Ashlyn. 

"So has anyone actually been here before, because I have absolutely no idea on what to order." Ali asked aloud.

Abby tapped the table and pointed to Ashlyn. "Ash comes here all the time, she practically knows the entire menu. She's the reason we actually come here."

"I guess I should put my fate in you to help me out?" Ali smiled and tapped Ashlyn's hand.

Ashlyn smiled back and took Ali's menu, "Don't worry, I got you."

The waiter came by and took everyone's orders for both drinks and foods. The table got insanely loud and Ali wondered if they would get kicked out for making too much noise, but it seemed like no even seemed to care or they didn't even notice how much noise they were actually making. They were all in separate highly spirited conversations with each other that Ali couldn't help but feel a bit left out, she always thought of herself as a social person, but those things sort of change with every situation. She was about to pull the typical 'let me check if someone is texting me' until Ashlyn tapped her shoulder. 

"How long have you been a PT?" Ashlyn asked. 

"I've been one for three years going on to four. I usually worked for hospitals, doing rehab for people after accidents and surgery. It got a bit depressing to tell the truth and that's when I got the email from Andy about a job opening with yall team." Ali explained. 

Ashlyn nodded as she listened. "Well I think you'll fit in well with us, we're all a pretty big family here. Plus you already scored points in my book for not having crusty, calloused hands like our old physio guy Gustavo."

"That guy could scrape the skin right off of you with those claws." Hope added when she caught onto some of their conversation.

"So true, I remember when Lex went in because she pulled her groin, she came out of there with the reddest thighs I'd ever seen in my life." Tobin recalled.

Alex pouted and leaned her head onto Tobin's shoulder. "I couldn't have sex for an entire week."

"Could've fooled me, you and Tobin were at it in the locker room like animals in heat." Sydney pointed out. 

"Guys we can all rest assure about Ali's hands, they're soft as a baby's butt." Abby announced which brought on some obscene comments from a few around the table. 

The waiter came back with a cart containing all of their ordered foods and drinks. He delieved them to the correct person before leaving them to their dinner. Everyone dug in and we're more than satisfied with what they got, Ali herself was even pleasantly surprised with what Ashlyn had ordered for her. 

"You like it?" Ashlyn asked. 

Ali gave a quick nod, "It's really good and I'm not even a big fan of Italian food despite being part Italian." She finished with a small ironic chuckle.

"Okay, Ash quit hogging Ali." Pinoe all but shouted from the other side of the table. 

Ashlyn gave a confused look, "What? I wasn't-"

"Yea yea save it." Pinoe said to shush her. Once Ashlyn quieted down Pinoe turned her gaze back to Ali. "So Ali tell us how much you actually know about baseball and our team."

Ali chuckled nervously, "I uh actually don't know much about either. I mean I know the positions and stuff like strikes and home runs. And if I'm being honest, I don't really know anything about you guys."

They all looked at Ali with irritation, the nervous smile Ali was donning was beginning to fall. She felt like she must've said the wrong thing, maybe it would've been better if she lied about her knowledge of baseball and hell even the Senators. There's nothing worse than telling the players of the team you work for that you have no idea that they really even existed or much about them. 

When Ali felt like her heart was going to explode from the silence and what she thought was hard tension, everyone burst out laughing. 

"Holy crap, Ali, your face." HAO laughed. 

"Don't mind these bozos." Whitney yelled over their laughter. "They always play some stupid joke on newcomers, players and staff alike. We're all pretty nice and will gladly teach you the ways about our team and the sport."

"Oh wow, you guys sure know how to scare a woman. I might just see if I can ring up Gustavo and see if he'd like his old job back." Ali joked back before taking a sip of her lemonade.

"Ooo, she's fiesty with those comebacks. We're gonna be besties already." Syd laughed. 

"Well just a heads up Ali, the Senators have been leading the National League for two years, we're practically the best. So if you like winners, you definitely picked the right team." HAO informed. 

"I think I'll like you guys immensely." Ali replied as they finished up their dinner. After everyone was done eating, they began to part ways so they could head home before practice the next morning. Ashlyn hung around with Ali after paying for the dinner. 

"So you didn't even know you were at dinner with celebrities?" Ashlyn asked in a mock surprised tone. 

"Har har, sue me." Ali playfully rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm a superstar at what I do so I think I'll fit in quite well."

"We'll see about that Ali." Ashlyn grinned. 

"Maybe next time, I'll bring a pen and notebook for signatures so I can sell it on ebay." Ali joked and gave Ashlyn a little push. 

Ashlyn held up her hands in surrender. "Okay paparazzi in training, I'll see you tomorrow at practice."

"Goodnight Ashlyn." Ali smiled before heading towards her car.


	4. Getting Ready in Preseason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a late start to my day, but here's a chapter update :)
> 
> You all in the comments are a funny bunch x)

Ali stood over Sydney as she worked out a tight spot from her back that she got by taking a baseball there. Ashlyn of course was the one that did it but it was on accident, a bee was flying really close to Ashlyn's face and she freaked out and just chucked the ball, Syd's back being the recipient of the fast ball.

"Owww" Sydney groaned into the headrest of the physio table as Ali pressed her ointment covered palms into her sore lower back.

"We're almost done Syd, just hang in there." Ali reassured and finished up her movements. Sydney's loud groans sounded like she was on the brink of dying, Ali sympathized with her but she now understood why she heard the players calling her diva all the time, the woman could exaggerate. Ali removed her hands from Sydney's back and gave her a little pat. 

"Okay we're all done. Make sure that you apply this ointment as needed for the next three days, the slight swelling and pain will be gone by tonight. Try to lift things with your knees and not your back. It will be a bit a sore but I think you can handle it." Ali explained and handed her the ointment. 

Sydney gave her back a little roll and winced at the lower part that was exuding pain. "Thanks Ali, but if you excuse me, I'm going to kill our pitcher."

Ali chuckled and turned to wash her hands, "Just make sure to avoid using your back."

Ali headed into the locker room and began taping up whatever each player needed. They were going to be focusing on a weight lifting and gym session and Ali wanted to make surethat no one injured themselves. After she finished taping them up, she joined them in the gym and helped Marcus, their gym trainer, show them some exercises to specifically focus on and how they wanted them done. So all the players split off into cardio and lifting groups. 

Ali walked around with Marcus to supervise each player's movements, whether it was a bad stride they made or poor form in moving a weight, everything had to be done correctly. She and Marcus split up when the groups were made to switch with each other and Ali supervised the weight group. The weight group contained Abby, Pinoe, Ashlyn, Tobin and a few others that Ali recognized as the younger bunch of players.

The first player she noticed having a bit of a flaw in their lifting posture was Crystal, which Ali quickly corrected. She stood by and watched as they rotated between each lifting spot, she was satisfied with their exercises until she saw Ashlyn struggling a bit with the 35 pound weight in her right arm. Ali quickly went over to her and lightly but firmly held her left wrist and the top of her left shoulder.

"Lift slowly and control it, I'll support you." Ali said.

Ashlyn's flickered down to Ali who was slightly behind her. "You sure? This is a pretty heavy weight."

"You're gonna do most of the work Harris." Ali replied.

Ashlyn nodded and controlled her movement as she started up her rep. She could feel both Ali's strength helping her to control her movement more evenly as she lifted the weight simultaneously with Ali's warm breath on the back of her neck causing goosebumps to form and the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Ashlyn swallowed hard and continued her reps while feeling Ali's body a bit too close. With each rep she could feel Ali steadily use less and less strength to aide in her resp, making sure that Ashlyn was generating most if not all the strength needed to lift the weight. As she grew tired with each rep she started to notice that the stiff feeling in her elbow wasn't present anymore.

"Alright Senators, that's a wrap for today. Everyone did a magnificent job, shower up, and go to the game plan room, Andy has something to tell yall." Marcus spoke loudly to be heard over the weights and machine equipment. 

Ali kept her hold on Ashlyn's wrist and dropped her other hand down to her lower back until Ashlyn placed the weight back on the rack.

"You should come by after your shower so I can check your elbow again."

Ashlyn flexed her arm a bit, "I think it's fine. The stiffness isn't there anymore, thanks for the offer though."

Ali gave her a look before going over and putting a premeditated amount of pressure on her right elbow. She watched as Ashlyn made a hissing noise and donned a pained facial expression. 

"Yea right." Ali said sarcastically. "I won't be responsible for injuring one of if not the best pitcher in the National League. You're coming by my office, no buts."

"Yes ma'am. I'm gonna go shower now." Ashlyn said and smiled a bit as Ali tilted her head in the motion of 'go on'. 

The moment Ashlyn went into the area with the shower stalls she was accosted by Pinoe slapping her back. Ashlyn ignored her actions but when Pinoe kept doing it she had no choice but to acknowledge her. She turned around and seized Pinoe's hands before giving her a look.

"Pinoe what?" Ashlyn groaned knowing that it was likely going to be something stupid or sexual, either scenario had a 50/50 chance because Pinoe was weird like that. 

"I saw you and Ali getting real close in the gym earlier." Pinoe said in a song song voice while wagging her eyebrows at her. 

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and pushed Pinoe back so she could close the stall behind her. "Goodbye Pinoe."

"Aww c'mon, give a woman something to work with." Pinoe said and banged on the stall door. 

"There's nothing to say, she helped me out with some of my reps because of my elbow, that's it." Ashlyn yelled over the shower head as she lathered up her hair. 

"Does she smell good." Pinoe said in an obscenely funny voice that had Ashlyn cracking up. 

"Go away you creep, besides she's married." Ashlyn laughed. 

Pinoe waved her off before talking as she left, "I know I know, I'm just busting your balls."

Ashlyn muttered dumbass and finished the rest of her shower. She got dressed in black joggers and a white t-shirt before shouldering her sports bag and heading down to Ali's office. She knocked once and was immediately let in.

"I'm here as promised." Ashlyn joked. 

Ali chuckled and beckoned with her finger to follow her into the recovery room. "You know the drill, hop up and I'll make sure your elbow is still in good shape, I should be able to get you to full strength by the start of the season."

"Sounds good to me." Ashlyn followed her words and dropped her bag to the ground before lifting herself on the table with ease. She watched as Ali tied her hair up into a high ponytail and grabbed the usual cream that she always applied. They went through the motions of moving her elbow, putting pressure on it, and doing a few light game simulations of throwing. When Ali was satisfied with what she'd seen, she began rubbing in the menthol smelling cream before patting her thigh.

"All done." Ali announced as she washed of the excess cream from her hands. She didn't even notice Ashlyn hanging by the doorway waiting for her to finish until she went to wipe her hands. "You know I said I was done, right?"

"I heard, but coach wants to talk to us so I thought I'd walk with you there. I don't know if you know where the game plan room is so.." Ashlyn answered.

"Oh okay, we'll in that case thank you. Let me just finish up here and grab my stuff and I'll follow you." Ali smiled and lifted on her tiptoes to place some ointments, bandages, and oils into the upper cabinet but was having a hard time reaching the upper shelf in the cabinet. She was about to just leave everything on the counter until she felt Ashlyn come up behind her, which made Ashlyn's body flat on her back and Ali couldn't deny the fact that it felt rock solid. Ali was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Ashlyn had already put the items back on the shelf before giving Ali back her personal space. 

"Perks of being tall. We might need to get you a step ladder." Ashlyn said with her tounge out, indicating that Ali was too short. 

Ali playfully pouted and lightly hit her side, "Thank you Green Giant."

Ali grabbed her bags and followed Ashlyn down to the game plan room that had a very large flat screen, a projection machine, a few tables facing the flat screen, and plenty of game plans that hung on the wall that Ali couldn't understand for the life of her. 

"Ah, there you two are, take a seat." Andy grinned. "Now that everyone is here, you all know how we take a week long retreat before the season starts-"

The entire room erupted in whoops and cheers, Pinoe and Crystal did some kind of hilarious looking twerking motion while high fiving each other. Ali looked around as the entire room went wild even Ashlyn was whooping when she heard retreat.

"Okay okay, calm down you animals." Andy joked. "Where are my manners, Ali our preseason retreat is basically when we go to any place of my choosing and stay for a week, nothing but pure, unadulterated fun is gonna go on for a week. I'm sure you'll love it. Plus you'll have these hooligans to make things hilarious."

Ali nodded, grateful that someone explained it to her. She'd have to run it by Matthew and see how he reacts but ultimately Ali wanted to go. 

"Alright we leave in two days, I'll send out the email tonight about what you'll need. Email me back if you're going or not. Take care ladies."

The Senators all filed out into the parking lot whole talking loudly amongst each other. Ali felt arms go around her shoulders on both sides. 

"You coming to the retreat with us?" Whitney asked while they walked. 

Ali nodded, "I'll have to run it by my husband first, but I'll probably go regardless of what he says."

"I know exactly what you mean, my husband Dave is used to all my traveling now so we have a pretty good common ground when it comes to this thing." HAO said. "But before, huh that man would miss me so much, but it was cute so eh."

"If he gives you any problems we'll call our resident bulldog." Whitney joked while pointing at Ashlyn who was throwing her bags into her all black Jeep. Ashlyn rolled her eyes and gave a playful growl before hopping into the front seat and waved goodbye as she drove away.


	5. Welcome to the Winter Retreat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this for the day if I can finish it :)

Ali and Matthew pulled into the parking lot of the Nationals and Senator's stadium. Matthew was definitely sour this morning because of the week long trip Ali was going on. Ali constantly reminded him that he was always encouraging her to do her best and that this was a traveling job, of course she was going to have to leave multiple times in the year because of the long baseball season, but Matthew was still undoubtedly unhappy about. So in the two days that stood between the travel day, they spent all their time arguing, which Ali thought had no basis to it. They eventually somewhat reconciled, but the emotions were still there. 

Ali looked out the window and saw the team loitering around the large team bus that was covered in their logo. "I'll see you in a week okay." Ali said and turned to her husband. 

"Yea, you'll call me though, right? I know it sounds clingy but I'll miss you while your gone." Matthew asked as he took her hand in his own, rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. 

Ali looked at and nodded, he sounded like a kicked puppy and no one was to hurt someone while they're down. But Ali truly meant that she was going to call while she's on the trip. She leaned over and gave him a kiss, which Matthew deepened immediately. Ali palmed his cheek and heard whistles and cheers from the players outside. Ali broke the kiss and gave him a peck before they both exited the car. Matthew popped the trunk and pulled out her suitcase before giving her another kiss. 

"Bye babe." Matthew said on her lips. 

Ali smiled softly, "I'll call you when we get there."

Matthew nodded and entered the car and drove away, Ali watched him go and waved. Once he was out of sight Ali subtly groaned and headed over to the players, so knew the teasing was about to begin. The bus driver took her suitcase and put it with the rest. 

"Wooo so that's your man? Good job, Kriegs." Syd said as she went up the steps of the bus. 

Ali rolled her eyes and followed after her, most of the seats were already taken by the players so she scanned around the bus until her eyes came to rest on Ashlyn who was seated in the back aisle seat. Some of the players were making a few comments about her and Matthew, and although Ali knew it was all in good fun she still doesn't want to hear it. Ali made a beeline to Ashlyn and tapped her shoulder. 

Ashlyn jumped a bit and yanked off her headphones. "Whoa you scared me. What's up?"

"Is it okay if I sit here?" 

"Yea go ahead." Ashlyn rose up to provide Ali with enough space to get in with ease, the only problem was that both Abby and Hope stood in the way so there was no where for Ashlyn to stand. She sat back down and tried her best to move her rather long legs out of Ali's way. 

Ali gave her a small chuckle and turned to go inside to the window seat. Ali could either face her backside at Ashlyn or face her frontside at the blonde, either way it was going to be one of those weird sashay things while trying to get into the row. Ali turned so that her backside was facing the blonde and used her hands to hold the seats ahead of them so that she didn't lose her balance. 

Ashlyn on the other hand spent her time trying not to look at the butt in front of her face while attempting to not make things awkward, but damn could Ali rock a pair of tights. She could see Pinoe and Alex giving her funny faces and Ashlyn wanted to flip them off but it'd be very hard to explain if while raising her hand it hit Ali's butt. Once Ali was finally seated, Ashlyn let out a mental breath. 

"Glad to see you joining us, believe me you'll like it." Ashlyn said.

"Mmm we'll see." Ali hummed and brought out her ipad and turned it to some show on Netflix. She watched for a while until she could feel eyes on her, she looked up and saw Ashlyn in a trance like state while watching the show along with her. Ali popped one of her earbuds and used her pinkie to push off Ashlyn's earphones and and stuck in her earbud. She raised up the armrest and scooted closer to her so she see it better. Ashlyn gave her a bashful smile of thanks before focusing back on the show. 

By the time they arrived at their destination, Ali was asleep on Ashlyn's shoulder and Ashlyn was also asleep but with her head resting atop Ali's. A bright flash jolted Ashlyn awake which in turn rocked Ali awake as well. 

"Jesus christ, Pinoe!" Ashlyn tried to slap the phone out of her face but Syd was faster to take it from Pinoe.

"Aww you two look cute though." Syd cooed before passing the phone around for everyone to see which garnered awws from everyone the phone past. The phone somehow made its way to both Ashlyn and Ali. 

"I look really cute, Green Giant here not so much, there's a bit of drool action going on." Ali joked and stuck her tounge out at the pitcher. 

"Ooo burn, I felt that from all the way over here." Crystal yelled from the front. 

"Yea well." Ashlyn grabbed Ali and put her in a tight hold while rubbing her face in Ali's hair. "Here's some more drool action for you since aparently the Green Giant drools."

Ali squealed while trying to escape Ashlyn's hold but the pitcher had very strong arms. After struggling around for a little while longer, Ali gave up. She did however begin to tickle the pitcher to get her to loosen her hold. 

"Alright ladies off the bus and let's get inside because it's fucking cold out here." Andy yelled over the noise of the chatter and everyone started exiting the bus only to be hit with extremely cold gusts of wind that caused everyone to grab their bags and run inside. When everyone made it inside the main cabin lodge with Andy standing in the middle of the room holding a sheet of paper. 

"I have a list of the rooming assignments, this is going to be the same rooming assignments for pretty much the entire season once it starts, but I will randomly change it at times." Andy informed and laid the paper out so they could see. "Shower up and come down for dinner in an hour. Tomorrow the fun starts." 

Everyone checked out the list and high fived their roommate before grabbing their bags and heading for the short pathways that led to the separate guest cabins. The cabins were essentially small, their interiors were what you'd find in a double bed hotel room, with the addition of a fireplace. 

Ali pulled her suitcase into the small cabin and smiled when she saw the blonde pitcher. "Hey Green Giant, I guess we're roomies."

"Yes we are Short Stack." Ashlyn quipped and sat up from her place on the bed that was across from Ali's. "You want to shower first or me?"

"You can go ahead, I need to make a call." 

Ashlyn nodded and grabbed her essentials for the bathroom. Even though the lodge had the heater on, there was still an undeniable chill that could be felt so Ashlyn made sure the water was really hot before going in the standing shower. She finished up her shower before pulling on sweats for dinner. She was about to exit the bathroom until she heard Ali yelling angrily into her phone, she didn't want to eavesdrop but it was a bit hard to ignore. 

"Matthew you need to understand that this is my job now. I have to travel with the team and to be frank, I enjoy their company!" Ali yelled into the phone. "This has nothing to do with you, it never did until you made it all about yourself. I said I would call and I am, but now you're making me regret that."

Ashlyn couldn't stay in the bathroom forever so she stepped out as quietly as she could but Ali noticed her. 

"Matthew, I'll call you back. I...I love you too." Ali sighed before hanging up and tossing her phone on the bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face. "I guess you heard all of that?"

"Just enough." Ashlyn sat beside her. "Do you...do you want to skip dinner? I don't know, just order something and watch a movie or something."

"You know that actually sounds really good right now." Ali agreed.

Ashlyn grinned and stood from the bed, she clapped her hands together and grabbed her snow jacket. "Then consider it done Short Stack." 

Ali rolled her eyes at the nickname but was grateful for the sentiment from the pitcher. She waited until the cabin door closed to call Matthew again, she didn't want to leave things unfinished per say. However, Matthew was causing a problem that needed to be put to bed. 

"Matt this needs to stop, now. You can't continuously get angry because I have to travel to do my job. The season starts very soon and I need you to be supportive. If you're not going to support what I'm doing then tell me so I don't expect it from you." Ali vented. She could hear Matthew do his trademark sigh that meant he was about to apologize. 

"Baby I'm sorry, I'm just being irrational and I shouldn't be. I just wish you didn't have to travel but I'm happy for you. I really am. And I don't want to ruin your time there because of my incessant worrying." Matthew apologized.

"I know Matt, I just need you to be supportive of me, unconditional support."

"I will always support you baby. I can weather the week babe, just have fun at the retreat but make sure to invite me to the season opener."

"I will, both you and Kyle." Ali giggled knowing that Kyle was a diehard baseball fan so he was bound to show Matthew a great time. She heard the door jingle and figured it was Ashlyn coming back and for some reason she didn't want to still be on the phone with her husband, so she said goodbye and hung up. 

Ashlyn came into the room with two dvd cases in her mouth and her arms stacked with food. Ali reached over and took the dvds from her mouth and helped Ashlyn put the food down. Once everything was in place Ashlyn shook of the snow from her body which flew on Ali and made her yelp.

"I'm gonna go shower before you make me wetter than this." Ali stated. 

Ashlyn went about putting in the dvd, which was a rated R horror movie that Ashlyn had been dying to see. She then turned and split the food into two plates and smiled to Ali when the she came out of the bathroom. 

"Food's all done."

They watched the movie from both their beds while eating until Ali was practically under the blankets and her eyes forcefully shut. She'd open them every now and then only to get scared again and go under the covers. She was nearly at her wit's end because of the horror movie and wanted to tell Ashlyn to put something else on until she felt the pitcher get into her bed and put an arm around her. 

"I got you Ali, monsters are afraid of the Green Giant so I think you're safe here."

"Thank you." Ali gave a relieved sigh, even though she knew the movie wasn't real, she sure felt like she was about to pee her pants. The thing that bothered her a bit was the fact that if this was her husband, he would've just laughed and said she was being ridiculous, but it was nice to have someone try to soothe her fears, it was greatly appreciated. 

By the time the movie ended, Ali was fast asleep. Ashlyn carefully slipped out and got rid of their trash, turned off the tv and hopped into her own bed before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, who doesn't love budding new friendships.


	6. Winter Paintball Champs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one for today :) I can't let yall clean me out just yet.

The team sat in the main cabin's breakfast room chatting amongst each other about the upcoming season. 

"So Ali, we thought we should actually teach you about the wonderful sport that is baseball." HAO said from across the table.

Ali chuckled and her bite of pancakes. "Sure, lay it on me."

HAO rubbed her hands together. "Okay, first off we have two leagues; the National League, we're in that one and the other is the American League. The main difference between the two is only in the National League are the pitchers-" She pointed to Ashlyn and their other two pitchers. "Allowed to bat as well as pitch."

"So the American League's pitchers can pitch only?" Ali asked to clarify. 

"Correct." HAO nodded. "I'm sure you know the various pitches and what not so let's go on to something else. The season starts in October, right along the same time the men's season ends so that it's baseball all year long. We play about 140 games in a season but we don't have a salary cap because of the many games we have. The guys plays over 180."

"Hallelujah for uncapped salaries!" Pinoe yelled.

Abby rolled her eyes at the woman. "Onto the positions, we have the catcher on the home plate who communicates with the pitcher, the first, second, and third baseman, and the shortstop they all essentially try to tag people out as the opposition make their way to the bases. Those positions are all on the infield, the part of the field that doesn't have grass, most likely is going to be some kind of dirt."

"The outfielders consists of the left, center, and right fielders. They catch the balls that are hit very far. Their job is to catch the balls for outs and also if they can, throw it back to the infielders to get additional outs." Hope chimed in.

"Infielders are on the dirt and are more in constant interaction with whatever is going on inside the baseball diamond, and outfielders are on the grass to catch those far balls." Ali stated.

"Yes. Now let's go to strikes, balls, foul balls and walking a batter. A strike is two things, when a batter swings at a pitch but misses and also when they fail to hit a pitch that crosses the home plate, now a batter can check their swing on pitches and not be called for a strike unless it crosses the home plate." Syd pointed out. 

"Balls are pitches that do not cross some part of the home plate, it's basically off target so the batter gets a ball, four balls and the batter can walk to the first plate, three strikes and he's out. Three outs and it's the next teams turn. Walking a player is the same as throwing them four balls, it is also if you hit them with the pitch they automatically get to walk. A foul ball is when the batter hits the ball into the foul zone, foul balls give batters a maximum of two strikes for it unless they already have two strikes then it doesn't hurt them. However if the ball hits the ground before the foul line it's considered good, also if the infielders or outfielders catch a foul ball then it's an out." Syd finished with a smile, satisfied in how she explained it. 

"Got it. Four balls or if they get hit, automatic first base walk. Foul balls bring you up to a maximum of two strikes, if caught it's an out. Three strikes and you're out." Ali stated in a more simpler way. 

"Redacted, but correct." Syd nodded.

"Last ones are pinch runners, sluggers and home runs." Ashlyn said. "Pinch runners are players that replace someone on the base because they can steal bases better than the person that's taken out. However the person taken out cannot come back in the game at all. Sluggers are the batters that hit those home runs. Home runs are pretty self explanatory, the batter hits the ball into the crowd or out of the stadium, depending on how many people are on the bases it determines if it's a single, double or triple homer but best of all is when all bases are loaded which gets you a grand slam."

"I knew the home run part, Green Giant." Ali cheesed. 

"Well excuse me for helping you." Ashlyn said with sass and stole a link of breakfast sausage from her plate. 

"Hey you thief, gimme my food back." Ali said. 

Ashlyn opened her mouth and revealed the half chewed food. Ali made a disgusted face and mumbled nevermind. "Anyways, whatever you do, don't argue with the umpire, it's generally some mean ass old man or woman that will throw you out of the game in a heartbeat."

"Gotcha."

"Now that you know the rules of America's most loved sport, we can have some fun today." Carli said and stood to clean up her plate. Everyone else followed along, Ali stayed closest to Ashlyn as they went into some room with all white snow gear from coats, compression undershirts, boots, goggles, beanies, and more. On the other side were what odd looking guns. 

Ali looked at them in horror, she grabbed onto Ashlyn's wrist to stop her. "You guys are going hunting?"

Ashlyn's face turned red as she bent down and laughed loudly when she saw Ali's pale face and horror stricken facial expression. She felt Ali slap her her back but she kept laughing. Crystal gave them a weird look while Ashlyn grabbed ahold of Ali's hands to get her to stop slapping her back all the while laughing still. 

"Don't even Harris, if you know what's good for you." Ali menaced which looked like an angry puppy.

Ashlyn wiped at her eyes, "Short stack here thought we were going hunting for caribou or something. Her face looked like you told freaking Snow White you were going to kill Bambi."

The room erupted in laughter and Ali slapped Ashlyn's back again before trying to storm off but Ashlyn pulled her back and held her around the shoulders. 

"Aww I'm sorry Ali, but honestly were gonna play a round of paintball. We wear all white in the snow to make it harder to find your opponent but the paintballs are pretty dark colors so we'll know if you get hit. But really it's almost like a free for all, makes everything thing fun that way." Ashlyn explained and grabbed some clothing in both hers and Ali's size. 

All the women started undressing to get into their snow gear. Ali looked around and wondered if there was a changing room, of course Ali had changed around women but that was high school, and although she saw her fair share of nakedness while being a part time PT for her college, it still never failed to surprise her at the amount of nonchalant stripping that these women did without a care in the world. 

"Get dressed Short Stack." Ashlyn smiled as she pulled off her sweat shirt and revealed a very toned torso, defined abdominal muscles and her side was adorned with a large and colorful tattoo.

Ali had seen Ashlyn's sleeve before because of practice and physio, but damn were the tattoos and the muscle on the pitcher in front of her was eye catching. She had to avert her eyes before it became completely obvious that she was staring. She stripped off her own clothing, leaving her like everyone else in their bras and underwear. She took the clothing offered by Ashlyn and slipped them on. Ashlyn perched snow goggles on her head and handed her a paintball gun.

"Ali's on my team!" Ashlyn called out which garnered some protests. "Aww shut it, she's new and she should be with the freaking champion of paintball."

"Oh go screw yourself, and Ali, because you sided with the enemy we're coming for you too." Syd yelled and narrowed her eyes at the two. 

"We'll see, Syd. Short Stack and I are gonna whoop ass. See ya out there ladies." Ashlyn grinned and led Ali out. 

●●●●●●

The cabins were encompassed in a large forrest which provided the perfect hiding spot for anyone that required it, which was exactly where Ashlyn led them to. She stood at the base of the tree and made a cradle with her gloved hands and turned to Ali with expectant eyes. Ali looked from her hands to the tree and shook her head.

"There is no way in hell I'm getting into that tree." Ali stated.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes, "Unless you want to be black and blue from piantball pellets, I suggest you get your nice ass up there."

Ali raised her eyebrows at the pitcher before using the pitcher's open palms as leverage and sitting on the branch. Ashlyn followed after her.

"I swear this is some Hunger Games stuff." Ali whispered as she heard a horn go off which probably signaled the start of the game. "Isn't this cheating?"

"Do you wanna win? Or be a loser?" Ashlyn asked before aiming her paintball gun and shooting both Moe and Crystal in the side. "Because those down there are losers."

Ali grinned and held her paintball gun tightly, "Winners for sure."

The game was essentially like the Hunger Games, with each person that was tagged out, a horn blew. If you could remember how many people were players and staff, then you could easily figured out which how many were left in the game. Ashlyn and Ali got four more players before they were spotted from their hiding place, Ashlyn provided cover for Ali so she make her way out. Ashlyn narrowly dodged a paint pellet before shooting Carli in the leg. 

"Haha you're out!" Ashlyn laughed as she ran for cover from anyone who might've seen the interaction. She made a quick snow slide over to Ali and got situated next to her. "There's only a handful of players left, they're most likely Pinoe, Syd, Abby and Hope. Watch out for Pinoe because she has a very good shot."

Ali nodded and looked over the large tree stump they were hiding behind. It was pretty hard to see through the falling snow but Ali saw the unmistakable swish of black hair that she knew had to belong to Syd, and if Syd was there then usually by default so was Pinoe.

"Ashlyn, there's Syd and Pinoe." Ali informed. 

"Nice work Short Stack." Ashlyn aimed her paintball gun at Pinoe. "Let me get Pinoe first, that'll scare Syd and make it easier for you to tag her out." 

Ali nodded in agreement and kept watch. Ashlyn was about to shoot Pinoe when Ali saw Abby and Hope coming near to where they were but hadn't yet spotted them. "Ashlyn."

Ashlyn turned and saw them, "Shit, can you get the both of them? I'll take care of Pinoe and Syd."

Ali nodded even though he wasn't necessarily sure of her rapid shooting ability. "Uh yea sure."

"I believe in you, now shoot!" 

Ali somehow manage to actually get Abby in the thigh and Hope in the arm. Pinoe and Syd were alerted by the shots but Ashlyn took them down pretty quickly.

Four more toots of the blowhorn sounded and Ali jumped up and down. "We won!"

Ashlyn just smiled at Ali's child like behavior and nodded, "We sure did."

●●●●●●

Ashlyn and Ali came into the equipment room where most of the players and staff members were already showered and re-dressed.

"So I think we all know who is still the reigning champion of Snow Paintball, except this time I have a partner. Read it and weep people, yall got beat. So I think I was right in the end Syd." Ashlyn was purposely being smug because she knew as competitive as their team were it was bound to get rowdy in the room. 

"You know I swear our PT had some kind of artillery class taken because she got me and Abby, without missing once." Hope said, a few people protested but it was all in good fun. 

"Go shower you big ass gloating cheater. Moe said she saw you and Ali sitting in a tree." Syd said with her arms crossed. 

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g?" Pinoe said with a waggle of her brows which made Ashlyn stand up quickly. 

"No you turd, we were busy winning. And Syd, you don't have to worry about us in the tree because we got yall on equal ground." Ashlyn said with her trademark smug smile, she mainly did it when she threw a great pitch that baffled batters and caused them to strike out. 

"Go shower Ash!" Syd all but screeched. 

Ashlyn snickered before making her way with Ali back to their cabin. "We should rename this place the 'Winners Cabin', get it on a plaque or something."

"You are very smug, I thought the Green Giant was supposed to be humble." Ali said and dropped her dirty clothing on the floor and headed towards the bathroom. 

"Don't take too long, lunch is soon!"

"Gotcha."


	7. Campfire Admissions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get some of Ali's backstory in this one ;)

It was the Senator's second to last day on their winter retreat and Ali couldn't believe how much fun she was having. She never expected it to be boring but the team were already like her second family, she could be herself around them and not worry about anything or anyone else beyond the cabin boundaries. 

Everyone was gathered around the large campfire that provided enough heat to beat out most of the chill of the cold winter Virginia air. Andy had grill some kind of steak from some animal, Ali couldn't remember which one he said it was from. Nonetheless, they tasted amazing and there was hardly any leftovers by the time they were done. Currently they had smores and alcohol, Andy generally didn't like them to drink but he figured let them get most of their temptations out now rather than during the season. 

Ali forgoed the alcohol for many reasons and settled with a soda in her hands.

"You know what, we should play never have I ever or truth or dare!" Pinoe unnecessarily yelled. 

"Sure." Syd nodded along with everyone else .

"Since I came up with the idea, I get to go first." Pinoe rubbed her hands together.

Ali grinned knowing that whoever got Pinoe would have to do something crazy. She almost laughed as it fell on Syd but her phone rang with a name that she forgot about all week. She stood up abruptly and quietly and quickly excused herself before walking over to a more secluded area away from the players and staff.

"Hey Matt." Ali breathed through the cold air she now felt because of the loss of heat from the campfire. 

"You told me that you'd call, you lied Ali." Matthew slurred his way through the sentence which grinded Ali's gears. 

Ali could tell he was drunk, and all for what? Because she forgot to call him for a few days? Now Ali understood that he was her husband but to call him everyday to essentially check in like a child away at camp was ridiculous. The fact that he was showing that he couldn't trust her by expecting her to call everyday and by calling her a liar, hurt her hard, especially after what he did months ago. But most of all was the fact that he drank himself sick and then had the audacity to call her and call accuse her of being a liar. 

"Matthew you better put down the phone and go sober up before you even think about calling me again." Ali stated. 

"B-but you said you'd call me but ya didn't." Matthew slurred again. There was loud laughter, some music and voices in the background, it sounded like bar. "How many of those players are lesbians? They know you're married right? Well they fucking should with that big ass ring on your finger. I know you wouldn't do anything but you can't trust-"

"Stop! Matthew don't call me until I get home and get the hell out of that bar!" Ali yelled. She wasn't going to sit there and have him project his crap on her, especially when he was drunk off his ass. She was about to hang up when she heard him begging. 

"Baby, baby please, I'm sorry. I didn't... I think I made mistakes tonight." Matthew admitted, his drunken voice sounding quite reserved. 

"What did you do?" Ali asked hesitantly and felt her heart beating in her ears. 

"I...I'm drunk and...I made you angry." Matthew hiccups. "I love you Alex, I really do."

"Go home, and sleep it off, please." Ali pleaded, she heard him mumble something close to 'okay' before she hung up. She wiped away some frustration tears and made her way back to the bonfire. 

Everyone was still having fun with their adult version of truth or dare. Ali quietly sat back in her spot by the campfire. Ashlyn saw her come back in with clearly a different aura to her, but she never got the chance to all what's wrong because the bottle landed on her and a grinning Syd who was still very bitter about her loss in Snow Paintball was ready to give her a dare. 

"Truth or dare, scary cat Harris." Syd practically grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Ashlyn knew Syd would never let her live it down if she picked truth. "You know I'm gonna say dare."

"Great! I dare you to throw Ali in the river and jump in with her. Yall have to stay in there for at least five to ten seconds."

"Uhh no, we might get sick." Ashlyn argued. She really just didn't want to do something that Ali didn't, especially when she looked like that.

Hope snorted, "Strip down before jumping in, that way you'd have dry clothes to wear when yall come out."

Ashlyn looked to Ali who just gave an uninterested shrug. They both walked down to the wooden dock and stripped down to their undergarments. "You ready?"

"Just don't throw me too hard or far." Ali said as she tightly gripped onto the pitcher's shoulders. 

"We'll see." Ashlyn grinned as she lifted her up bridal style and ran off the dock with the brunette still tightly in her arms. The moment the freezing water hit their skin, the air was knocked out of their lungs, taking them what felt like forever before they felt enough air in their lungs to be able to scream about the chill of the water. Ashlyn helped Ali get back on land first before following quickly after her. 

"Holy crap, t-that crap was freaking cold." Ali's teeth chattered as she and Ashlyn ran over to the campfire to retrieve their towels and clothing. Once they dried off enough to put back on their clothes, Ashlyn grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her back and sitting behind Ali to wrap it around the both of them. Ali was between her parted legs with her back practically meshed to her front for warmth, Ali's fingers curled around Ashlyn's to make sure the large puffy blanket stayed in place. 

"Skip over our turn, Syd." Ashlyn informed and before Syd could argue Ashlyn stood with Ali and dragged her back to their cabin. She sat Ali onto her bed and sat next to her. "Ali what's up, you can talk to me you know? You took that call and came back looking like you wanted to cry."

"I don't want to make everything personal." Ali answered. This was a new team and she didn't want to leave such a bad impression. 

"Bullshit. Tell me or I'll bring the entire team and make you tell us." Ashlyn quipped.

Ali wrung her hands together and let out a harsh breath. "Matthew, my husband, he called and he was drunk. I made him promise me half a year ago that he wasn't going to drink anymore but he went out and got drunk. He isn't an alcoholic but he becomes an absolute asshole and he gets so jealous, he's just not my husband anymore when he drinks."

"Does he...does he hit you when he's drunk?" Ashlyn asked. She swore to herself right then and there that if she heard Ali say yes, she'd steal the team bus and find out where Ali's husband lived and kick his ass. She'd never stand for a man hitting a woman, not a chance in hell. 

Ali shook her head, "He's never hit me Ashlyn, I'd never stand for that at all."

Ashlyn nodded, "So what did he do that's making you so sad? I know his drinking is a part of it but I feel like you're holding out on me."

"He broke a very big promise," Ali started but looked up into the green and hazel eyes and felt like she was cheapening the seriousness of her dilemma by trying to not directly state what happened. Those eyes looked at her with so much care and love that Ali wasn't sure if she wanted to hide what happened. 

"Matthew, he um... we've been together for five years, married for three years, right out of college. He was a great guy in college which is why I fell for him. Flash forward to two years into our marriage, Matthew started visibly drinking a lot, he would get angry a lot more for the simplest of things. Our home was a war zone, I was saying or doing whatever I could to not get him mad but I'd slip up every now and then. It was definitely putting an immense strain on our relationship, I nearly left him, I don't know really understand how we managed to work things out but we did. Now here he is drunk calling me, acussing me, and I can't help but feel that he's going back to how he was." Ali said in such a small voice. For some reason admitting this to Ashlyn felt shameful, and she wasn't even the one that had treated someone else like complete crap. No, she was the one who took the guy back. The part that hurt even more was the fact that she could never tell anyone the full truth without feeling like they were judging her. 

"Oh my gosh. I don't know what to say other than is he really worth it? Is he worth the broken promises, is he worth the jealousy he exhibits, is he worth the worrying he causes you, the accusations or the anger? I'm not trying to break you guys up, but does the good outweigh the bad?" Ashlyn asked. 

"I don't know Ashlyn, I really don't. I love him but I hate that side of him, I hate what he did in the past but we moved past it. I just hate it sometimes when I think about it." Ali answered. "But without the alcohol he's a great man, and I love that side of him."

"Listen Ali, I just want you to be happy. If there's any way that the team can do that or me specifically, just tell me and I'll do whatever I can." Ashlyn said with an immense amount of seriousness. 

Ali didn't understand how someone she only knew for a week or two weeks tops could be this understanding to her. Ali reached up and held the pitcher's well defined face her hands, her eyes flickered down to her parted lips but flickered back up just as quickly. The pitcher's hazel-green eyes looked into her own light brown ones as if she knew what Ali was thinking about for a split second. Ali leaned in and kissed her cheek before wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her tightly. 

"Thank you Ashlyn, I mean it." Ali mumbled into her wavy blonde hair. 

Ashlyn held her around the waist and laid her head closer to Ali's. "You're my Short Stack, I want you happy. This isn't your fault and if you need someone to talk to, I'll be there."

"I guess I really can count on my Green Giant to protect me." Ali giggled into her hair. 

Ashlyn leaned back, pulling the both of them into a hugging position while they laid in the bed. "Damn right you can, for anything. So do you want to go back out there for some truth or dare?"

"Not really, reliving my past doesn't exactly put me in the mood for it." Ali mumbled so low that Ashlyn almost didn't catch what she said. 

"Okay, then movie night number two it is." Ashlyn laughed and pulled out Frozen which made Ali's face scrunch up in disgust. 

"You actually like that movie?"

Ashlyn gave the brunette an appalled look, "I'll have you know that this is one of the best movies on earth, thank you very much."

"It's ear grating." Ali laughed and dug out The Hangover from the pile and held it up. "We should watch this instead."

"Fine. Only because the Green Giant is friendly. Otherwise, you'd be singing along with me to Frozen without a damn choice." Ashlyn pointed out with a smile as she put in the comedy. 

"If you say so." Ali scooted up to the headboard and patted the spot next to her. Ashlyn pulled up the blankets and got comfortable next to the brunette as they watched the movie.


	8. More Time with the Senators

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is coming since it is connected with this one

Ali said goodbye to the entire Senators team and gave Matthew a hug as he took her suitcase and put it into the car. He went in for a kiss but Ali quickly rebuffed him with a turn of her head and before he got the chance to try again. However, Matthew turned her head with his hand and kissed her. Ali pulled back rather quickly and Ashlyn called out for her. Ali moved over to her. 

"What's up?" Ali immediately smiled. 

Ashlyn dug in her hoodie pocket and pulled out a rolled up navy blue hoodie and a handmade threaded shell bracelet. "These are for you, I won so many times so I have an extra one. The bracelet, well I made that while I was in Florida as a teenager, it kept me happy while I was away from home, so whenever you need some happiness hopefully this can bring you some." 

Ali held the gifts in one hand and wrapped her other arm around her neck. "Thank you."

Ashlyn wrapped her up tightly in her arms, "You're welcome Short Stack, take care yourself."

Ali slipped on the bracelet and unraveled the navy blue hoodie to reveal the Senator's logo in the upper right corner with the Nike check in the left, and in very large white letters "Winter Paintball Champion".

"I'll definitely be keeping this." Ali grinned and received one from the pitcher before she waved goodbye. She entered Matthew's car and stayed silent as the car ride progressed. At a red light Matthew sighed heavily.

"Alex, why are you ignoring me?" Matthew asked with a hand on her thigh. 

Ali rolled her eyes, "I'm not ignoring you, I'd just rather not have our conversation in the car."

Matthew nodded and got them home. Ali brought in her own suitcase and immediately started a bath for herself. Once it filled up, Ali stripped down and lowered herself into the fragrant hot water. Matthew heard her so he came in with a plate of chicken and fried rice and sat on the toilet cover. 

"You hungry?" He asked and when he saw her shake her head, he scooted off the toilet and sat next to the bathtub and held up a fork full for her but took a bite when he saw that she really didn't want any.

"You already know why we have to talk, right? Because if you don't then just leave the bathroom." 

"I do know. It's because I was stupid and I got drunk." Matthew said with shame on his face. 

"That look on your face is how you should feel. You should feel ashamed of yourself for breaking your promise, for projecting your insecurities on me, and for even thinking that anyone of the players on the team would try something. You're behavior was disgusting and I'm not going to excuse it because you were drunk." Ali stated, he needed to know this and Ali was going to make sure he knew it well. She forgave him one too many times, but it was history together. 

"I know Alex, really I do and I screwed up. I shouldn't have done those things. I shouldn't have broke my promise to you but I just, I don't know I got all stupid jealous since you weren't here for the entire week. It's stupid I know." Matthew tried to explain his drunken actions. 

Ali turned and faced him, "All I'm gonna say is don't do it again, because it's annoying and disrespectful to hear those words come from you. Never again."

"I swear Alex, it's never going to happen again." He leaned forward and kissed her gently, he wasn't going to try and push his luck and try anything sexual with his wife, not after the crap he caused. 

●●●●●●

The next day the Senators didn't have practice. They were given an off day after all their festivities at the retreat. Ali didn't have anything planed for the day but Matthew was busy getting ready for work as she read through the morning paper in bed. 

"Hey gorgeous, I have to go but you'll still come by for lunch right?" Matt asked as he picked up his work bag. 

"Of course." Ali nodded and pulled him in for a quick kiss, "Have a nice day."

"Bye Ali." Matthew said before pecking her lips once more before leaving. 

Ali planned to be lazy all day, with the exception of doing laundry, washing the dishes and cleaning up around their home a bit. Ali and Matthew always shared an equal amount of the cleaning responsibilities, but since she had a day off, she figured she might as well go ahead and get it done. She was halfway through folding the now clean laundry when her phone rang with a notification from Ashlyn, whose was now named Green Giant.

**Green Giant: Hey Short Stack, you want to hang out today?**

Ali knew she was bound to have a fun time with Ashlyn but she didn't want to forget her mini lunch date with her husband. She figured she could do both, have lunch with her husband and still hang out with Ashlyn. 

**Ali: Of course but we'll have to make a stop around 12.**

**Green Giant: Sure no problem, I'll pick you up just send me your address.**

Half an hour later and Ashlyn was at Ali's home while Ali slipped on the "Snow Paintball Champion" hoodie that Ashlyn had gave to her. For some reason the smell of Ashlyn on the article of clothing brought such comfort to her, she even placed the bracelet Ashlyn had also gifted her with on her wrist before grabbing her purse and meeting the pitcher out front. She'd seem her black Jeep plenty of times at practice, but being near it was a whole other story. The vehicle exuded a type of swagger that for the pitcher's ensemble of tattoos and muscle, Ali could understand how this could be a turn on for many people. 

"Sup Short Stack." Ashlyn greeted as she drove. 

"Nothing much, just cleaning up the house. Where are we going?" 

Ashlyn turned to her and flash a smile. "My place, some of the gals are there and we thought we could just hang out. So where do you need to be by 12?"

Ali felt a cringe shudder through her body but she wasn't exactly sure what for. Maybe it was the remembrance of her husband or the slight chill from the already cold September air. "My husband and I arranged a lunch date." Ali rattled off, for whatever it was Ali did not want to talk about Matthew when she was with Ashlyn. 

"Cool, just give me a heads up and I'll drop you off there." Ashlyn concluded and allowed them to listen to rock or pop music on the rest of the ride to her place. 

●●●●●●

Ali was right when she guessed she'd have a good time with Ashlyn. When they got to the pitcher's home, almost the entire team was present. Some were tag teams on the Playstation 4 that Ashlyn owned which was hooked up to a rather large flat screen with surround sound audio equipment, which in turn made the living room sound like a war zone.

"Oh my goodness, you would wear that Ali. You just aren't done rubbing it in my face huh." Syd teased whole pointing at Ali's hoodie.

Ali rolled her eyes and decided to play along. "Oh well you know..." Ali pulled Ashlyn to her side. "..these hoodies are made for winners only. Maybe if you win, we'll think about letting you join the group."

"Pfft, winner's group. More like it smells like ya boo so you're gonna wear it and love it." Pinoe yelled obnoxiously while biting into an apple. She even nudged Ashlyn a bit with an obvious waggle of her eyebrows. "Tell your girl to tone it down a bit, she's too obvious."

Ashlyn nearly bent over and laughed but instead wrapped her arms around Ali and kissed her temple. "Shh Pinoe, the hoodie is an unspoken agreement that she'll wear it around me, no one is supposed to know." Both Ashlyn and Ali winked for the added effect.

"Damn Kriegs, you're already shacking it up with our star pitcher. Just go easy on her when it comes to getting down and dirty, we need her arms in tip top shape you know." HAO joined in from the living room. 

Ali buried her face into Ashlyn's with embarrassment and laughter. Ashlyn just draped her arms around the brunette and rubbed gently. 

"They tease everyone, so don't take it to heart." Ashlyn started and when Ali looked up she continued. "Besides, we all know I'm out of your league."

Ali leaned back enough in the pitcher's now tightened arms and slapped her a few times on the chest before Ashlyn pulled her back into her body.

"Don't worry Ali, none of what she says is true but we'll continue feeding her ego so she'll pitch good." Abby stated as she looked over the couch while playing Alex on one of the video games. 

"Short Stack there's always a place for you in my heart." Ashlyn winked and hopped onto her recliner before pulling Ali down onto some of the space that was left. She reached onto coffee table and a can of soda for the both of them. 

They spent their entire morning switching through rounds of playing video games and egging eachh other on in competitive spirit. Once it was 11:45, Ashlyn and Ali got ready to drop her off for her lunch date with her husband, HAO, Whitney, Syd and Pinoe all decided to follow so that they could pick up some food along the way.


	9. Forget Your Flaws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Football games with the Senators and more reasons not to like Matthew :p

Ali sat in Matthew's office across from his desk while eating her chicken salad. 

"So how's your day going? Anything interesting?" Matthew asked. 

Ali smiled at the thought of going back to Ashlyn's place after her lunch with Matt was over. "Nothing interesting, I just cleaned up around the house a bit and I'm hanging out with a few girls from the team."

"Didn't you just spend the entire week with them?"

"Well yes, but they've become some of my very good friends."

Matthew nodded with his eyes still down in his food, he only raised them up when he asked his next question. "Is that blonde chick there? The one you hugged after yall trip."

Ali gave him a hard look as she tried to figure out where his line of questioning was coming from and where it was leading to. From the sounds of it, it seemed as though he was beginning one of his baseless accusations of her cheating on him and jealousy, which all stemmed from his own insecurities. 

"Matthew don't even go there." Ali warned with the same hard look. 

"I'm not trying anything, I'm just asking a simple question because yall seemed close and she gave you that hoodie and bracelet, both of which you're wearing now. Based on those things, is it wrong to say yall are close?" Matthew defended his initial question with an amount of calculated savy. However, to Ali it sounded as if he was still trying to insinuate that there was something more going on between she and Ashlyn. 

"Ashlyn is a good friend of mine on the team, she gave me these items because we won at a game, that's it." Ali didn't bother getting into the details of bracelet, or the fact that the hoodie has Ashlyn's fragrance embedded within it. With Matthew's moments of jealousy, he probably would've made her wash the hoodie over and over until he felt it was just a hoodie now. 

"I bet she is, when can I meet her?" Matthew asked. 

"Whenever you have time, but most likely it'll be on the season opener. I checked ahead of time and you don't have work that day, also Kyle said he'll be able to make it as well." Ali informed her husband. 

Matthew flashed his perfect smile and as always it got Ali to let go of some of the irritation she was beginning to build. "I have a present for you."

Ali smiled back at her husband and leaned back in the seat she was in. "What is it?"

"It's a secret until you get home."Matthew winked with his wide smile.

Ali sighed in mock disappointment, "Okay, fine. I'll see you when you're home." Ali said and gave him kiss before throwing her thrash away and giving her husband another kiss on his puckered lips. She headed out to the lobby and was surprised to see Ashlyn in one of the seats eating a spicy chicken wrap. 

"Hey you, when did you come back?" Ali grinned as she walked over to her.

Ashlyn finished off her food and put an arm around Ali's shoulder, "When me and the gals got back to my place, I kind of realized that I left my Short Stack without a ride, so I came back to wait for you."

"Aw how considerate, thanks Green Giant."

●●●●●●

The team spent the rest of their day lounging around with tables filled with food and the flat screen and audio system blaring the afternoon NFL game between the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Everyone teased Ashlyn for being the only one to support Tampa Bay rather than their baseball's team city, but Ashlyn stayed firm on her stand and even busted out her own Florida shirt while chanting what everyone guessed to be a Florida chant when Tampa Bay scored a touchdown which put them in the lead. 

"Give me a F..." Ashlyn stood up in front of the room grinning like a fool before pointing to Abby but received no answer. "Give me a OWW!"

Ali made sure to pinch down hard on the pitcher's butt cheeks before yanking her back down on the recliner. "Can it Giant."

Ashlyn gave a pout while rubbing her now sore behind and crossed her arms. "You're just mad because my team is winning."

"You wish." Ali rolled her eyes. 

"I must've wished for you to grab my tush because jeez woman you got a grip." 

"Aww poor baby doesn't like it rough. Wah wah." Syd laughed while drinking a beer. 

"Shut your face Jailbait." Ashlyn yelled back and dodged peanuts that flew at her head. "All I know is my Buccaneers are about to win, whether you all like it or not!"

For the sake of everyone, they hoped that the Buccaneers lost so that they didn't have to hear her gloat for the rest of the night. However, fate was not on their side because the Buccaneers won in overtime with a touchdown. 

Ashlyn jumped up and down and even stripped off her shirt to swing in the air as she made her victory lap around her living room. She avoided a few items of food and kicks from her teammates that were aimed at her before collapsing in a heap on top of Ali. 

"Get up, you're heavy. Besides, I have to head on home and start dinner." 

Ashlyn nodded and grabbed her car keys. "You gals know the way out, I'm gonna go drop Ali off at home."

There was a mixture of "Bye Ali" and "See ya Kriegs" as they left the home. Ashlyn drove Ali back to her home and patted her thigh.

"Well it was nice to just hang out, you know." Ashlyn smiled as she tapped the steering wheel. 

"It really was, I guess now I'm a firm believer in your bracelet for happy times." Ali smiled back before reaching over the console and hugging the pitcher tightly around the neck. She felt Ashlyn's arms find its usual way around her waist and melted into her touch, staying there for a little while longer before deciding she had to go on. 

"I'll see you later, Ash." Ali said and stepped out of the vehicle. 

Ashlyn waved as she started up the Jeep again. "Whenever you need me Ali, call and I'll be there."

"I'll hold you to it, Green Giant."

"I stay true to my promises, Short Stack." Ashlyn gave a mini salute before driving away from residence. 

Ali smiles as she goes and enters her home. She feels hands go over her eyes and she practically jumps while swinging her purse as a weapon. She felt it connect with something and a familiar sounding "ow" was heard. 

"Matthew, what the hell are you doing?!" Ali all but seethed. She absolutely hated surprises like this, anything that included physically surprising her as she entered a room unknowingly, pissed her off. It pissed her off even more because she made that clear to Matthew when they dated in college. 

"I..." Matthew wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed his frowning wife. "Wanted to surprise you with dinner. I'm surprised you didn't see my car out there parked behind yours. But anyways, I made dinner for us, I wanted to make up for what I did a few days ago. That's the surprise."

"Oh wow, thank you Matt. I was actually coming home to do that myself." Ali thanked with a kiss to his now stuble covered cheeks. She could've swore she smelled something odd on his breath but pushed it aside. 

Matthew led them to the candlelight dinner he set up in the dining room. He pulled out a seat for his wife before pulling out two plates from the oven and placing them in the correct places. 

They ate while making small talk. Ali excitedly informed him about what she did all day besides visiting him for lunch. She told him about Ashlyn's obnoxious cheering for the Florida team while everyone heckled her, and how Pinoe and Syd were acting as if they got so drunk that they started dancing like idiots for ten minutes straight. Matthew listened on intently, nodding and smiling at appropriate times and cleaning up the plates when they finished. 

Ali came out of the bathroom freshly showered and ready for bed. She climbed in next to her husband and expected to feel his arms around her like how they usually slept. However, this time Matthew was leaving wet kisses down the side of her throat and to be honest Ali wasn't in the mood tonight, she was actually rather tired.

Ali pushed on his chest as his body came to rest over her, she turned her head as he tried to capture her lips in a kiss. 

"Matt, I'm not in the mood." 

Matthew all but ignored her and leaned back on his heels to reach over his side of the bed to pull out a shopping bag. He gave Ali a smile and lifted up a dark red lingerie set. "I think you'd look beautiful and sexy in this." Matthew suggested while already trying to lift the nightgown from her body. 

"Are you deaf? I said not tonight." Ali pushed his hands away with more force and sat up, forcing him to sit on his own side. "Thank you for the present I guess, but not tonight."

Matthew sighed loudly, "Why? Its been an entire week since we've had sex, you're my wife Alex, I shouldn't have to beg for it!"

Ali flinched back at his sudden bout of anger but finally discerned the smell on his breath, bourbon and a strong one at that. Although, she could tell that he tried drinking anything or chewing gum to mask the scent, the bourbon was unmistakable. She slapped his arm with plenty of force to show him that she was just as mad. 

"Why should I sleep with a husband that can't even keep his promises!" Ali said with plenty of bite. 

Matthew rolled his eyes and grabbed her tightly by the wrists. "Don't change the subject. I made dinner for us, and listened to your day. You didn't even ask about mine, but I guess it didn't matter enough to you huh? Is it so wrong that I would buy lingerie for MY WIFE and try to initiate some kind of intimate moment with you!?"

"I don't care! You drank! After you said you wouldn't, you promised you wouldn't but I can smell the bourbon on your breath. You're the liar and the selfish one not me." Ali rebutted and winced a bit when his grip got too tight. "Now let go of my wrists."

Matthew loosened his grip and saw her practically snatch her arms away from him. He ran his hands over his face and sratched his bare chest. "I'm not going to lie to you, I drank some bourbon. I drank it with a friend, and no I'm not going to defend my actions because I can't. I want to keep my promise to you Alex, I really do but it's like I can't sometimes. I'm a fucking joke of a man, I can't even keep the promise I made to you; my wife, without breaking it and pissing you off. I'm probably so small of a man, no wonder you wouldn't want to be intimate with me." He put his face into his hands while he spoke.

Once Ali heard his voice break and a few tears drop onto his pajama pants, she leaned over and took his larger frame into her arms and held him close. She kissed the crown of his hair, and whispered soothing words to her now crying husband. She held him for however long it took him to calm down before pulling them both down into the pillows. Stroking his hair as she felt his hands lightly run down her sides. She leaned his head up and kissed him softly on the lips, she deepened their kiss, giving him the okay to go futher. 

Once they finished, Matthew slipped out of the bed to brush his teeth and clean himself up before coming to clean Ali up as well. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, "I love you so much Alex." He said into her neck.

"I love you too." Ali murmured as she rolled over on her side, she was mad at herself for how she handled things. She knew that the last thing she should've done was sleep with her husband, especially after he drank again today, but like always she forgave him way too quickly, she gave in to whatever he wanted and kept her desires on the back burner. 

When she felt Matthew's lips on her neck again in an effort to turn her around, she gave in to his wishes and cuddled into his chest. She loved her husband but she absolutely couldn't stand his flaws. However, the sweet man that lay beside her now was the reason why she pushed his flaws away and hoped for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I have for today :)


	10. Beat Boston

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have our first baseball game :p

Today was the day that the Senators waited for, today was the season opener against Boston. Boston wasn't necessarily a good team but their pitcher could throw well but could also throw a few too many dirty pitches. The Senators made sure to scope the Boston team out some more as each team warmed up. 

The Senator's locker room was extremely noisy, each player was going through their Gameday ritual, whether that meant absolute noise or the complete opposite which was silence. Some ate packaged donuts and cookies for their superstition that wouldn't make sense to announce except themselves even if they tried to explain. But above all, each woman was more than ready for today. Anything less than a win tonight was unacceptable, it was below their standards and it sure as hell wasn't going to happen. 

Ali was busy in the recovery taping up whatever each woman asked and even taking it if and doing it all over again just to meet their rituals, it was tiring and a bit annoying but if Ali was honest, she loved it. 

Ashlyn came in with her full uniform on except the team jersey shirt and the undershirt she generally wore beneath it. "Hey Ali can you work up my back a bit. I can't have it cramping up on me during the game, my elbow too if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't, go on and lay on the table." Ali smile and watched as the pitcher laid down and with each movement it flexed muscles in her back and arms. Ali grabbed some relaxing warm oil and poured a generous amount onto her back before rubbing out any twinges of a tight spot. After she finished up on her back, she worked her elbow and back some more before wiping off the excess oil and patting her back. 

"You're all done Champ." 

"Champ? That's a new one." Ashlyn commented with an eyebrow raise as she tugged on her tight, red compression shirt.

"Your bestie Whit told me about how you helped the team win the World Series championship on your first year here. So your second nickname from me other than Green Giant will be Champ, I think it'll be less embarrassing if reporters or someone overheard me calling you that." Ali explain and gathered some things in her medical bag incase anyone needed treatment during the game. 

Ashlyn nodded and buttoned up her jersey before tying up her hair into a ponytail and slipping a baseball cap with the team's logo on it. "Well I think we should keep Green Giant and Short Stack to ourselves anyways, people wouldn't get it."

"I agree, now hurry up before Andy chews you out for missing those gameday instructions."

"Yes ma'am." Ashlyn cheesed with a heavy southern accent which made Ali's cheeks turn a light shade of pink before she quickly turned the other way and head out the door. Ashlyn just chucked and followed after her which led them to the game plan room. Ashlyn took her place by the front while Ali chatted with the other trainer and others on the medical staff about some of the procedures. Once Andy wrapped up the team's game plans everyone huddled up and leaned into the middle with their hands touching. 

"Senators on three, senators on three, one, two three!" Andy shouted in a way to get his team and staff hyped.

"SENATORS!" Everyone yelled. 

"Now let's go kick some Boston ass!" Andy yelled and led the way out to the pitch. 

The moment they stepped out and the dugout Ali heard the roar of the sold out stadium. Her step faltered a bit but felt strong hands on her waist and the familiar scent of the star pitcher.

"Watch your step Short Stack, we can't have you getting injured before the game starts, we need you." Ashlyn breathed quietly. 

Ali nodded when she felt the blonde's breath on her ear. "Go get em' Green Giant."

Ashlyn gave her waist a little pat before squeezing past Ali and out of the dugout with everyone else following behind her. Ali stayed standing in the dugout as the national anthem began and the entire stadium sang along to the instrumental version of it. Once it ended, chants for the Senator's immediately started and the crowd noise increased. She leaned or on the padded bars they had around the dugout and watched as Ashlyn took her place on the mound, the jumbotron made sure to have a welcome back message with the camera focused on her. Pinoe, Alex and Syd all ran to the outfield to take their positions. Abby was at first baseman, Morgan at second baseman, Hope at third and Crystal at shortstop and Whitney at catcher.

Ashlyn tipped her hat to Whitney and the umpires called the start of the first inning. Once Ashlyn's arm wound up, the entire crowd went silent. Ali wondered if something was wrong and looked around but felt a hand pat her back.

"Don't worry, it's all Senator's tradition. Once she throws that first pitch and it's a strike, they'll go wild." Andy informed.

"Ahh got it." Ali nodded and her eyes went back to Ashlyn, she could've sworn that Ashlyn looked at her for the briefest of seconds before going back to Whitney.

Ashlyn finally nodded on a pitch and sent a fast ball that was clearly out of the Boston batter's range of hitting. When the umpire yelled strike, the entire crowd went from silent to a five alarm noise level that sounded ridiculously loud. Ali couldn't help but clap at the amount of speed and finesse that Ashlyn put in the pitch. Ashlyn wound up for another throw which was a perfect dipping pitch that had the batter swinging and missing. Strike two was called and the Boston batter had a prominent large scowl on her face, she fixed her batter's helmet and got back into position. Ashlyn licked her fingers before grabbing the ball from her mit and throwing a curve ball that duped the batter. The umpire caked strike three and the first out which made the crowd cheer even louder if it was possible. The top of the first inning went perfect, no bases were allowed for Boston and Ashlyn felt no stiffness in her elbow. 

Ashlyn jogged into the dugout and immediately meet the high fives that were in her path. She plopped down next to Ali and grinned. "My elbow feels like magic."

Ali lightly bumped their shoulders together, "I told you I'd get it back to full strength. You looked great out there, all strikes for all three outs, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to impress someone." She said with a smile. 

"Nah, I'm just making sure that my Short Stack enjoys her first baseball game. And...." Ashlyn jumped up along with others and banged on the padded dugout bars, "Let's go Pinoe! Your first home run in the dugout."

Pinoe hit a solid home run on a pitch that looked like it was way out if the strike zone. As the bleached blonde ran through the diamond, she waved her arms around like a bell ringing motion. She ran into the dugout info the bear hug by her teammates. 

"And that's how you whup some colonial ass!" Pinoe cheered as she took her seat and Syd went up to bat. Pinoe got a slap on the head from the batting coach for cursing before giving her another one for the home run and pouring them up one run. 

Syd hit a hard ground ball past third base and used her speed to make it to first base and to also slide onto second base, the crowd roared when Alex came up to bat, she was known for being one of the pretty faces on the team. She checked her swing and helmet before setting her stance and giving the mean looking pitcher a wink. The pitcher scowled and threw a fast ball that Alex missed and the umpire called the first strike. Alex shrugged it off and got ready to swing again. The Boston pitcher threw another fast back but it was right down the center and Alex was able to connect soundly on it and send it down the center field which slipped by Boston's center fielder. Syd could only get to third base and Alex to first before the ball made it back to the Boston pitcher to try and tag someone out.

Abby came up to bat and the entire crowd started chanting "slugger" as she checked her swing. Abby was the known slugger on the team and with two players on the bases, their batting coach decided it was best to just put this inning to bed. 

The Boston team knew that Abby was the known slugger so they decided to walk her. The pitcher threw complete balls until the umpire allowed Abby to go to first base, pushing Alex to second. The crowd booed Boston since they wanted to see a three woman home run. Crystal stepped up and tapped her bar on the plate before readying her stance. Crystal was know for hitting ground balls to let the player on the third base score a run but ultimately sacrificing her own run to first base. But it surprised everyone when her bat made full connection on the pitch and sending it way out of the stadium which made the entire place jump. 

The Senator's dugout went crazy as the grand slam was hit and they practically dogged Crystal as she entered the dugout with Syd, Abby and Alex. The crowd were chanting Senator chants and jumping up in the stands, Pinoe even joined in with them while banging on the padded bars.

By the end of the game, the Senator's won by 8 runs to none and Ashlyn pitching a perfect game. There were a few chippy moments in the game with the Boston pitchers nailing two of their players with bad pitches and the Boston outfielders and infielders had nearly took out some of their base runners when trying to tag them out. Overall an amazing result for the Senator's.

"Alright ladies I'm fucking proud of you all! Get showered up and the rest of the night is yours. Banging way to start this season off." Andy said inside the now peanut shell, bubblegum wrappers, tubs and pieces covered the dugout floor. 

Some of the players went back on the pitch and threw some baseballs out to the fans that stayed and even signed for a bit before heading into the locker room when all the crazy victory antics were going on. 

"I say we go to the club tonight and celebrate this win!" Pinoe yelled. 

"We can't get drunk you know, we have another game in two days." Whitney informed as she brought her shower essentials out from her locker. 

"I'll make sure no one drinks, if anyone does, I'll tell Andy and make yall sit out a game or two." Hope decided with a no nonsense tone that left no room for a challenge for anyone in the locker room. "Good, I'm glad we all agree on that."

Syd snickered at Pinoe's flabbergasted facial expression and dodged the bath towel that flew her way. 

"Shut your trap jailbait." Pinoe grumbled and went into the showers. 

Ashlyn quickly took her shower and got changed before grabbing her sports bag and left the locker room, she laughed when she heard HAO yell "where's the fire". She took long strides in the hallway before knocking on Ali's office door bit finding it empty. So Ashlyn asked around and it led her to the parking lot for the players and team staff. She saw her with who she remembered as Ali's husband and there was a muscular guy that look quite like Ali except with fully tattooed arms. 

Ashlyn was about to get Ali's attention when the male Ali look alike's eyes practically went wide as he saw her approach.

"Holy shit B, you didn't tell me you know one of the most famous pitchers in women's baseball." The man practically squealed but had a disapproving look garned for Ali. 

"Shut up Kyle." Ali turned to Ashlyn and grinned so her nose crinkled just a bit and immediately brought a smile to Ashlyn's lips. She brought Ashlyn into a hug from around her neck. "You played incredibly well, Andy told me you pitched a perfect game."

Ashlyn squeezed her around the waist before pulling back, "Yea, it was nothing." She said humbly with a chuckled. 

"Like hell it was nothing. I nearly spat my soda everywhere when the announcer said it." The man spoke up once again. 

Ali rolled her eyes at him, "Sorry about this guy, he's my brother Kyle, and I can't seem to get rid of him."

"Well there was one way, but let's save that for another time." Kyle quipped with a slight bite in his tone. 

Ali gave him a look that said 'don't start', before turning to her husband. "This is Matthew, my husband."

Ashlyn could see Kyle roll his eyes at the mere mention of Matthew's name when she shook both of their hands. She wondered what kind of history Kyle and Matthew had but she figured it wasn't her place to ask. 

"Well, the girls and I are going out to the club tonight to celebrate the win. The club is pretty private but I can get you guys in if you want." Ashlyn offered. 

"Yea, of course we'll go, right babe." Matthew said with a kiss to Ali's cheek. 

"I want to go but I don't think it'll be best for you Matt, honestly. Maybe we should skip out on it." Ali suggested.

Matthew sighed and shook his head, "We'll meet you there. It was nice to meet you Ashlyn, my wife talks a bit about you." His tone suggested a hint of jealousy and possibly possessiveness.

Kyle muttered childish too loudly and it made Ashlyn snort before clearing her throat to cover it up. Ali took Ashlyn's wrist and stepped forward. 

"I'm gonna go with Ashlyn so I can shower first and do some recovery for them. Kyle, I'll text you the address and you can take Matt with you and I'll meet yall there."

Kyle's face immediately twisted with disgust, "Oh god, what did I do to deserve that?"

"Be nice Ky, I'll meet you there." Ali whispered. 

Kyle mouthed "You owe me" before walking off to his car. Matthew leaned in for a kiss that was only given on his cheek, he quickly turned Ali's face and kissed her square on the lips before leaving after Kyle. Ali and Ashlyn walked off back into the stadium. Ashlyn leaned on Ali's office desk and drummed her fingers in the oak desk. 

"So what happened out there?" Ashlyn inquired. 

Ali dug through her locker before pulling out some clothes to go clubbing in. "My brother isn't a big fan of my husband. He never was after he found out that Matthew has drinking problems and I forgave him for them."

"Ahh gotcha, there won't be a fight or anything, right, because I really don't want to break up a fight tonight." Ashlyn joked but a hint of seriousness was there. 

"Hmm Kyle? No way, he wouldn't go that far. He just makes sure that Matthew knows he doesn't like him. It's a bit hilarious if you've been around it for so long. Although, I've never seen Kyle and Matthew get physical with each other." Ali chuckled softly, "I'm sorry to bring my family drama on you-"

Ashlyn closed the space between them and placed her hands on Ali's shoulders. "Don't worry about, I'm here if you need someone to talk to or understand. You never have to apologize for telling me how you feel."

Ali nodded and wrapped her arms around Ashlyn's middle. "I can't tell you how much better you make me feel only after talking. I couldn't ask for someone better."

"I'm glad I can be that person Short Stack." Ashlyn whispered and felt her phone vibrate, signaling they were taking too long. "I should let you shower." Ashlyn said after a while, clearly none wanted to break their embrace but Ashlyn knew someone had to. 

"Yea, I uh I won't take long." Ali said before entering the bathroom that was connected to her office.


	11. Give Me a Reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will post another to complete the triple threat after I get off the road :) believe me, you'll like the next chapter.

Ashlyn and Ali entered the packed club, they had to dodge quite a few paparazzi before they actually make it inside. One guy was trying so hard to take Ashlyn's picture that he actually tripped on his own two feet and slammed camera first into the angry looking club bouncer. Ashlyn took Ali's hand to make sure she didn't lose her in the crowd and brought her over to the table that housed most of the Senator team. 

"There you guys are, we thought yall got lost." Pinoe said over the loud music and pointed to the one chair that was left. 

Ashlyn smiled to Ali, "Go on and take it, I'm fine with standing." 

"No way, you just stood for two hours for a game, take the seat." Ali argued. 

"Ali it's fine take-"

"Hey married couple, chill and share the damn the seat!" Syd yelled before dragging Crystal with her to dance floor. 

Ali just gave Ashlyn a smile before she walked over to her husband and scowling brother. She wanted to tease him about his face but knew it would definitely lead to a snarky rebuttal by Kyle, which would definitely get Matthew angry, in the end ensuing an embarrassing mess. 

She kissed Matthew quickly and gave her brother a tight hug. "So did you two enjoy the game?"

Matthew was about to speak but Kyle cut him off which received a look from Ali. "Hell yes, thank you B for scoring some banging seats. Next time when you're telling me you got a new job, make sure to include 'works for a bomb ass women's sports team'. Kay thanks. I'm proud of you, you're doing what you love and by the looks of it those girls are freaking healthy and not even a fraction of sore."

"Thank you Ky. I'll probably be able to score you some locker room tickets as well, maybe you could come visit me at work one day." Ali smiled. She looked up to Kyle, he is one of her biggest supporters and to see him estatic about her work and who she works for was an amazing feeling for her. 

"Well I am proud of you too baby." Matthew laid a hand on her lower back, pulling her closer to him so he could kiss her firmly on the lips. Ali could see Kyle make a gagging face before moving over to where the team were.

"So that was the famous Ashlyn huh." Matthew asked.

"Yup, isn't she great?! She's one of my close friends on the team and she's an absolute riot."Ali explained while turning to look at the pitcher who wore a tight long black shirt, grey loose skinny jeans and black boots, her long blonde hair was still partially wet from her shower. 

"She's a good pitcher, I wasn't expecting her to pitch a perfect game." Matthew sipped on his club soda. "So when do you travel again?" 

"I told you this already." Ali stated. She had put up a calender dedicated soley to her traveling, and she even went about reminding him before hand. "Yes, the entire team will travel to Boston tomorrow."

"Okay okay, I'm not trying to make you angry." Matthew said as he nuzzled into her neck and pulled her into his lap. Ali just wrapped an arm around his shoulders and nodded. 

Meanwhile at the Senator's table Kyle had already introduced himself and talked with almost all of the women. He was mid-sentence when he stopped to groan in the direction of his sister. Whitney giggled over her cup of apple cider. 

"Why don't you tell us what's on your mind Kyle." Hope said. 

"Well since you asked, I can't stand all that..." Kyle pointed to his sister and husband. "Vomit inducing situation over there."

"Aw but I think they're cute." HAO shrugged.

"No, my ass is cute. Ali's husband by law, is not appealing. She needs to drop him like a rock." Kyle turned to Ashlyn and held her by the shoulder. "I can tell you and my sister are friends, give her a good ol' nudge in the right direction. Just a little push."

"I uh think I'll leave that to Ali." Ashlyn chuckled and patted the guy's back. She was about to make a joke about it until they could hear Matthew's voice loud, angry and clearly in Ali's face as she was backed into the table. The entire Senator team and even a few club goers looked over at the situation. Ashlyn and Kyle were the first ones up and moving towards them. Ashlyn pulled Ali away and into her chest while Kyle shoved Matthew back into a wall. The Senator team stood up and went over as well. 

Kyle had his fists deeply wrenched in Matthew's dress shirt. "Give me a reason not to break your face." He seethed. 

Matthew tried to shove him off but Kyle had an extremely tight hold on his shirt collar. 

"Kyle let go of him!" Ali yelled from Ashlyn's arms.

"Stop sticking up for this piece of shit!" Kyle yelled before he turned around and narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. "If you ever get in my sister's face again, I will fucking end you." He finished by shoving him back into the table and stalked off only after giving Ali a dirty look that didn't go unnoticed by either Ashlyn or Ali. Ali loosened Ashlyn's hold and took Matthew's arm and led him outside the club. 

"Well that was fucked up." Syd said as she and Crystal came from the dance floor. 

"Yea, it was." Ashlyn replied with a distracted tone. She turned to follow after Ali but Whit stopped her by the arm. 

"Don't go there Ash, it isn't your business." 

"But Whit-"

Whitney shook her head, staying adamant on her words. "No, you and Ali may be close but she needs to talk to her husband by herself."

"I guess you're right." Ashlyn relented and sat back in her seat while watching Ali and Matthew go out the door. The rest of the team went back to talking amongst themselves. 

●●●●●●

"What the hell is wrong with your brother!? He can't attack me like this." Matthew yelled. 

"You know why!" Ali yelled back and ran her hands through her hair and breathed hard. She couldn't believe that out of all nights to do something stupid, Matthew picked today to be stupid. After two weeks of progress, he picked tonight to flush it all down the toilet. 

"It was one drink Alex! I haven't drank in two weeks!"

"So you want a cookie? A gold star? You agreed, we both agreed that you would stop drinking. But you keep breaking that promise and god Matthew I'm tired of it. I really am." Ali stated, her voice breaking slightly throughout as she ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. 

The fight in Matthew automatically left the moment he heard his wife's tone and the tears she was trying hard to keep at bay. He closed the space between them and held her close. "Alex I'm-"

Ali immediately pulled back, "Please just go home, I'll be back soon."

Matthew nodded and smoothed his hands over her arms, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Okay, I love you Alex. I'm sorry I keep messing up."

Ali just nodded before going back into the club and sitting at the table. Kyle wasn't there anymore, so Ali guessed he went home. Ali couldn't blame him for leaving, she never did. She didn't even know why she bothered to come back into the club, she was embarrassed, having this part of her life on display definitely wasn't on her top ten things to do. She was about to just say goodnight to everyone when Ashlyn sidled up next to her before pulling her up to her feet and to the dance floor. Ali wanted to protest but Ashlyn held her close.

"I won't ask, just dance with me." Ashlyn spoke.

It was a bit odd that they were slowly swaying to fast paced club music but if Ali was honest, she didn't care. Her arms went up around the pitcher's neck, her head rested atop the pitcher's chest and let out a small almost silent sigh. 

"Thank you."

"I'll always be here for you Short Stack." 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn pulled up to Ali's home and put the Jeep in park. They hung out all night til the point where Ali practically forgot what had went on with Kyle and Matt hours earlier. She only remembered about the situation once the team started to say their goodbyes and call it a night. Ali tried calling her brother but he seemed keen on ignoring her until he was ready to speak. So now here both Ashlyn and Ali were, sitting in the warmth of the Jeep, none daring to break the comfortable silence with the obvious "it's time to go".

Ali's eyes flickered to the time and saw that it was past 1 am and gave herself a mental pat on the back, since Matthew would probably be asleep by now.

"Ashlyn."

"Yea?"

"Could you pick me up tomorrow for the flight?" Ali asked nervously, her hands were practically wringing themselves into oblivion. 

Ashlyn covered Ali's hands with her own and rubbed them softly. "I'll come get you, don't worry about it."

"Thank you, I'm also sorry about tonight. I didn't mean for you to get involved into all of that."

"Forget about it. I'm here for you Ali, really. He sounded angry and was way too close to you for comfort. I was making sure that you'd be okay." Ashlyn admitted and smiled softly when Ali nodded. "I'll be here bright and early tomorrow."

"Okay I'll see you then." Ali unbuckled her seat belt and reached over to hug the pitcher once again that night. She breathed a sigh of peace when she felt the strong arms encircle her waist and lightly squeeze. She pulled back but to look into the hazel eyes before speaking. "Goodnight Ashlyn."

"Goodnight Ali."


	12. All We Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! :D

Ali dragged her bag to the front door. She had already eaten and made leftovers for her husband. She was hoping that Ashlyn would come quick before Matthew woke up. Ali couldn't lie, she was avoiding him and for a very good reason. After Ashlyn had dropped her off last night, Ali had walked into their bedroom and could immediately smell the stench of liquor on her husband. She'd resigned to sleeping on the couch that night rather than confronting. She knew from experience how Matthew reacted when confronted. 

Ali was about to text Ashlyn when she heard the alarm in their bedroom go off and she immediately cringed at her carelessness in forgetting to turn the contraption off. She stood and bounded for the bedroom for but heard the alarm stop, signaling that Matthew was awake. 

She moved away from the door and sat down on their couch, waiting for him to come out of the room. She heard the water run and a few dressers close before the door swung open and her husband, who was sporting slightly bloodshot eyes, came barreling out of the room fully and carelessly dressed to go. 

"Baby, I'm so sorry, I overslept and I hope I didn't make you late. I just-"

"Ashlyn is taking me." Ali blurted out and in the process cutting Matthew off as well. 

"What? Why would she do that? I'm perfectly capable of taking my own wife to the airport." Matthew stated with anger rumbling in his tone. 

"You're hungover, you're eyes are bloodshot. It's a good thing you have your day off today, because you definitely shouldn't drive at all today. You're in no state to drive." Ali informed. 

Matthew gave her a confused look, "I didn't...I didn't drink babe. I promise, I-"

"Yes you did! Stop lying to me! You ordered a drink at the club, which I thought was club soda until I took a sip and found out that it was gin and club soda. That's why you yelled at me." Ali pointed out. 

"No, I yelled because you don't trust me! You're taking sips of my drinks like I'm a child, I don't need that! I yelled because it was one drink in two weeks! That's not a crime!" Matthew yelled and slammed his hand on the wall but stopped to rubbed his throbbing temple because of his hangover.

"It is, because you made a promise and you keep breaking it. I'm not drinking either so I can support this promise we for you, but I came home and you were passed out in our bed smelling like a distillery! How can I trust you when you keep breaking mine?" Ali asked sadly. "Sometimes I think we should have never got back together, maybe it would be better if we hadn't. I just...I'm really at my last wit."

"No, don't say that Ali. I know we're worth fighting for, and I'm trying Ali, I really am. I promise. I was just so sad that night when you told me to go home, I thought you didn't want to see me and I thought you were angry at me. I just felt like crap and when I was driving home and I passed by a bar and just wanted to drown away all the thoughts....God, Ali I'm fucking useless. I'm a mess who can't get their priorities right or life together and I'm making you miserable in the process."

Seeing Matthew like this always broke her heart. Ali took his hands in hers, she knew that anyone who saw her would ask why she kept forgiving him, but Ali just couldn't let go, it was like she had to forgive him. She knew why forgave him every time and it was exactly why Kyle was peeved at her sometimes, but she couldn't help it.

"You're not useless Matt, we just need to be honest with each other. That way I don't have to supervise you because I don't want to do that, but you need to realize that you can't drink anymore, I'm serious. You have to be completely sober, nothing less than that."

"I'm gonna try, I'm serious Ali. I need to do this right. I owe this much to you and our marriage." Matthew said and kissed her forehead. 

Ali's phone went off and broke the couple apart, "I have to take this." Ali left her seat on the couch and went into the bathroom. It felt odd that she felt the need to shield her conversations with Ashlyn from her husband but she decided not to dwell on it too much. 

"Hey Ash." Ali smiled into phone. 

"Morning sunshine, I'm out front so if you're ready to go let's go." Ashlyn spoke happily. 

"Yea, I'm coming out right now." Ali hung up and sat on the arm of the couch and turned to her husband. "Look, I'm going to be gone for four days. I need your honesty Matthew, no more drinking while I'm gone and once I get back we're going to try counseling. I think it'd really help."

"Okay, I can do it, we can do it." Matthew kissed her softly. "Good luck on your trip, I hope you guys win."

"Thank you, I have to go." Ali patted his hand and grabbed her bag before meeting Ashlyn outside in her Jeep. Her was already in the process of lightening the moment she saw the smiling pitcher. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself, I totally thought you left me hanging out here." Ashlyn chuckled and began the drive to the team plane hanger. 

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you." Ali stated and poked the pitcher's side. 

"Good to know."

●●●●●●

The team all went through airport security and stopped to sign and take a few pictures for fans that approached them in the airport. Ali smiled as she watched Ashlyn pick up a few kids in her arms while some were on her back. The children looked like they were having the time of their life while their parents snapped pictures. Andy soon called for everyone to go and Ashlyn waved goodbye before they weer guided outside to the private plane waiting for them. 

Ali was grateful that none of the players brought up what happened last night at the club. They all treated her the exact same way that they did before and she couldn't have been happier. They made it easy for her to forget about the problems at home and have fun with them and focus on the success of the team. 

Ashlyn saved Ali a seat next to her on the short flight and shared a movie and the Ipad Ali brought. Once the flight landed, they were escorted to the hotel the team would be staying at. Andy informed them to go to the gym to move their legs or go walking to get their legs loose.

Everyone split up to get with their rooming partner and head up to their rooms before getting ready for a gym session in the hotel or a recovery session with Ali.

"You know, Andy could've just let us have the day off. Nobody wants to do this right now." Ashlyn grumbled as she pulled shorts and a compression shirt from her bag before tossing them on the bed. She stripped off her jacket and shirt, and picked up her compression shirt.

"Well yall play tomorrow, it'd be of yall best interest to get some work done now." Ali stated while bringing out some of her own workout clothes. "So unless you want to cramp up in the game, do some work tonight. Also, you should wear the red shirt, that green one makes you look like an avocado."

The room was silent until Ali looked up from her bag to see Ashlyn looking at her with narrowed eyes. "What? It's not an insult, you, the Green Giant is practically the garden keeper of vegetables." Ali explained as Ashlyn moved in closer. Ali scooted up on her bed with a playful smile and laugh. "You're the garden keeper of vegetables but no one wants to look li-"

Ashlyn pounced on the brunette before she got to finish her sentence and started to tickle her. "So you think you got jokes huh Short Stack?"

Ali tried to avoid the the pitcher's merciless fingers but was too caught up in the sensation and trapped under the pitcher. Ashlyn tickled her for what seemed like forever until she thought she would pee herself. 

"You learned your lesson Short Stack?" Ashlyn said out of breath and looking down at the pink cheeked brunette beneath her. 

"I almost peed myself." Ali chuckled and wiped the tears from her eyes before holding up the bracelet that Ashlyn had given her. "I'm starting to think you put some magic in this bracelet because everytime I wear it, I somehow have some type of good time."

Ashlyn laid down next to her and took her wrist, "That's because these are magical Floridia shells that take on the wish of the maker of the bracelet, and I said 'Happy times only'. I thought it ran out when I moved around from college then to DC, but I'm glad to know it's still working well." She spoke softly while looking Ali straight in the eyes.

Ali's hand rested lightly on Ashlyn's cheek and rubbed it with her thumb. "Thank you." 

"You don't have to thank me Ali, I told you. I just want to see you happy." Ashlyn spoke as she covered Ali's hand with her own. 

They stayed like that for a while, both forgetting that they had duties to do which entailed leaving the room but none seemed ready to break the peaceful moment. The ring on Ali's finger seemed completely forgotten as well when she leaned forward and took the pitcher's lips between her own. She felt Ashlyn's strong hands pull her closer and deepen the kiss. Something in Ali screamed it was wrong but was greatly overshadowed by the peace and happiness the woman beside her brought her. Something that Ali hadn't felt in so long, and to have it coursing through her was practically unstoppable. Somehow Ashlyn ended up on top of Ali between her thighs, cradling her face with her warm palms and running her tounge over the brunette's lips, begging for entry which was granted almost immediately. They were so wrapped up each in other and the explosiveness of the kiss that they didn't notice the door open, revealing an extremely suprised Whitney. 

"What the hell!" Whitney yelled at the scene in front of her. Mortified that her best friend would even cross this line with a married woman. 

Ashlyn and Ali both jumped up, except Ali's forehead slammed into Ashlyn's nose. Ashlyn yelped and fell onto the bed on her back holding her face which was scrunched up in pain.

"Oh gosh, Ashlyn I'm sorry. Shit uh" Ali apologized and looked from Ashlyn to Whitney and possibly her own shame that probably manifested somewhere in the room. Her cheeks were hot and she couldn't take the harsh stare from Whitney any longer before running out of the room.

"Ali wait!" Ashlyn squeaked out, avoiding the judgemental gaze of her best friend. She slipped off the bed and headed in Ali's direction but Whitney stopped her. 

"Ash why would you do this?! Out of all the women you could've picked to kiss or mess with, you pick the married woman? Not to mention the married woman on our team?!" Whitney hissed harshly, but didn't yell, she wanted to be mindful of who might've lingered in the hotel hallways. 

Ashlyn ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "Whit, it just, I don't know. It just happened and I wish I could tell you that it felt wrong but Whit it was amazing. It felt completely right. You need to let me go after her."

"This is going to end very badly. You are walking a very fine and dangerous line and I'm telling you now so that when it all blows up in your face, you'll know. And this better not affect the team or I'm telling Andy, best friend or not." Whitney warned before stepping aside. 

Ashlyn quickly left the room the moment she was given enough space. She looked through the hallways for any sign of Ali but couldn't find her until she started to head back to the room to wait. Ali was sitting on top of her bed holding an ice bucket with some wrapping. She walked inside, closing the door behind her and sat down beside her. She placed a hand over Ali's, coaxing her to look up and kissed her forehead when she did. 

"I'm sorry about your nose." Ali apologized while looking at the pitcher's angry looking red nose. Luckily for Ashlyn and Ali's confidence, it wasn't broken just very agitated. She looked back down to her lap and filled the bag with ice and a bit of water from a bottle before screwing on the cap and pressing it to Ashlyn's face.

Ashlyn hissed at the pain and the cold before taking Ali by the wrist and bringing her hand and the ice bag down. "We should talk about what happened earlier. Whit saw and-"

"I liked it. I kissed you and I liked it so much." Ali whispered in a tone that almost sounded frightened. "I'm married and I'm supposed to be fixing my marriage, but I felt more happiness and peace in that kiss than I have in the last seven months with Matt. And I feel so much regret for what I just did but at the same time I don't care."

"Ali do you love your husband?" Ashlyn asked softly.

"I don't know. I just...I don't know. I really don't know." Ali looked up to Ashlyn with tears already full in her eyes.

Ashlyn bit her lip, contemplating what she should do now with the answer she received from the brunette. To tell the truth, her mind was already made up, she knew she shouldn't do what she was about to, because the entire situation was messy and completely unknown, but her body and mind wanted her to, she needed to. So Ashlyn cradled the teary eyed brunette's face in her hands and kissed her again. She was afraid Ali would pull back and slap her or something but she didn't feel pain from the woman beside her, only her hands coming up to find purchase in her hair and her lips moving along with her own. This was all they both needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was a nice way to end the triple threat ;)


	13. Dog with a Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First update of the day :)

The next morning came quickly for both women. They fell asleep last night in one bed, basking in the warmth and prescence of each other. Sharing small and deep kisses whenever the urge took precedent over anything else. But for Ali to wake up in warm and strong arms that weren't her husband, should've made her feel odd but it felt amazing, it felt like this was what she had been missing for nearly an entire year. And looking up to see Ashlyn looking down at her with those soft hazel eyes with scattered green flecks inside and the fragrance that could only belong to Ashlyn, made Ali bury head face deeper into the blonde's chest and stay longer.

They laid in bed for a bit longer until they both got text messages from the players wondering why they hadn't come down for breakfast yet. Although, they both would rather stay in the utopia that was their hotel room, they knew they should go down especially since they never went to the recovery or gym session last night. 

"We should get up." Ashlyn grumbled a bit while rubbing her eyes. 

Ali nodded into the pitcher's sports bra clad chest before shifting up some and kissing her softly. "Good morning."

Ashlyn hummed into her lips with a smile and brought a hand up to hair, eagerly kissing back. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to stay here and..." Ashlyn leaned down and pecked her lips twice. "Kiss you until we're both spent. But we have to go to breakfast or else questions will be asked."

Ali sighed, "Okay. You want to shower first or me?"

"Go ahead, I'll wait." Ashlyn smiled and watched as Ali gathered her shower essentials and entered the bathroom. Ashlyn leaned over and picked up her phone that had just vibrated with two messages from her best friend. 

**Whit: Should I act like nothing happened last night?**

**Whit: You guys should really come down. It's game day and you know Andy is strict about anyone being late.**

Ashlyn turned off the phone screen without replying and just waited for her chance to shower. Explaining it all to Whitney when she and Ali hadn't even talked it through themselves was going to be extremely hard to do. So Whitney was going to have to wait for however long it'd take for them to figure things out. 

●●●●●●

"Finally, our majesty has graced us with her presence." Abby called out around some breakfast sausage. 

Ashlyn waved her off and sat in an empty chair, pulling out Ali's for her as well. "Can it grandma, before you choke on your food. It ain't Christamas yet, so you'll have to wait for you Life Alert necklace."

"Oooo, that burn scorched my toast." Syd joined in. 

"How bad would you despise food in your hair Jailbait?" Abby asked with a smirk and a spoon full of oatmeal aimed at her. 

"Chill Abbs, I'm not the one that burned you, it was our pitcher." Syd screeched while holding up a napkin to shield her face and hair. 

"Alright knuckleheads, calm down. You can kill and harass each other after we beat Boston again." Andy stated before clasping his hands together to get their attention. "Okay ladies, once you finish your food, grab your change of clothes and head to vans so we can get to the stadium. If you miss it, you'll use your own money to Uber or whatever your way there. Bus loads in 40 minutes."

The women all said "Yes coach" simultaneously before going back to eating and conversing among themselves. Ashlyn could feel Whitney's stare on her as she watched HAO talk with Ali about the upcoming game. Ashlyn wanted to tell Whit to bug off but they needed to be in private to talk about it. Instead, Ashlyn sent back a look that spoke volumes for Whit to tone it down. 

Once breakfast ended, the women all filed into the vans and got ready for the ride. Ali took the window in the back which left Ashlyn in the middle seat and Whit on her left side. It was safe to say that it was an awkward ride to Boston's stadium, one that neither Ashlyn or Ali would like to repeat. However, little things like Ashlyn's and Ali's hands brushing against one another made the ride bearable and a bit more enjoyable for the both of them. 

When the vans reached the Boston stadium, they were led by the stadium staff away from the flashing cameras of fans, sports journalists, and magazine paparazzi. In an attempt to grab at Ashlyn's sports bag to get her to take a picture with her, but instead grabbed onto Ali's bag, pulling her backwards and off balance. Ali nearly fell on her ass but luckily Ashlyn was there and caught her by the waist, Ashlyn pulled her into her side and gave the fan a very hard disapproving look before walking with Ali into the stadium. When they reached the locker room Pinoe burst out laughing. 

"Holy shit Ash, that girl is probably scarred for life after that look you gave her." Pinoe explained while wiping tears from her eyes. "I mean shit, I thought you were about to murder the girl."

"So not true." Ashlyn scoffed and got undressed. 

"Nah you looked like a dog with a bone." Hope added from across the locker room. 

Ashlyn tugged on her jersey and grabbed her mitt before leaving the room, she flipped Syd off when she heard "Gonna go get your bone?!". Ashlyn jogged down to the recovery room for the away team, she knocked once and walked in on Ali slipping a shirt over her head, her eyes trailed down to the tattooed script on her ribs but for the life of her couldn't read it. Ashlyn's face turned a deep shade of red and she slipped her hands over her eyes and leaned in the door while she waited. 

Ali chuckled, "You can open your eyes Green Giant." She grabbed a rag and wiped up some liquid spill. "And before you ask, I tried to reach something that was way too high and it backfired on me. Hence the spill and change of shirt."

"I see. I was wondering if you could work up my elbow again before the game, you kind slept on it last night." Ashlyn said with a sly smirk as she stood in front of the brunette. 

"You should've told me." Ali chastised and grabbed some ointment and patted the table. She was about to place what she needed on the table until Ashlyn lifted her up from around the waist and placed her on the table. Ashlyn stood between her thighs and pulled her into a deep kiss that had Ali's mind swirling in seconds. The moment Ashlyn's tounge swiped over her bottom lip, Ali let her in. She pulled the pitcher closer by her shirt and felt Ashlyn's warm hands pull her team polo free from her khaki shorts and meet the warm skin beneath it. Ali let out a soft moan from her lips that encouraged the pitcher to continue and lift the brunette's shirt. 

Both women were dead set on focusing on each other but the door opened along with Abby's, Hope's, Tobin's, and Andy's voices floating inside. Ashlyn quickly broke away from Ali but gave her another peck with a smile which made Ali giggle before pulling her down from the table and hopping up on the table. Ali unscrewed the cap from the ointment and squirted some into her palm by the time the players and Andy rounded the corner. 

"Oh that's where you were." Andy said. "I thought we lost you somewhere in the stadium. It's great to see you talking the initiative to working on your elbow before I have to tell you, you know your body better than anyone."

Ashlyn just gave a smile and looked back down to Ali's hands working on her elbow. 

"Well Ali, Tobin and Hope are only going to play a few innings tonight, they aren't feeling to hot after last night's gym and recovery session. So just help them get comfortable and well head out to the dugout." Andy explained. 

"Got it coach." Ali replied and tapped Ashlyn's thigh. "You're good to go."

"Thanks," Ashlyn slipped off the table, grabbing her cap along the way and leaving. 

●●●●●●

The Senator's sang some of their chants on the way inside the locker room. They beat Boston again, only this time it wasn't a shutout or a large goal deficit. It definitely wasn't chippy from Boston's side which actually seemed to make them play a lot better, leaving the scoreline 4 to 1 with the Washington Senators on top. 

The players were practically on cloud nine since the Boston team had scored first in the second inning and the Senators didn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth inning before they took it home. Not to mention the fact that they prevailed above all the booing the Boston home crowd were doing. Ashlyn didn't get to bat in the game but it didn't matter because Pinoe, Hope and HAO led the team to a solid win. 

Pinoe decided to be over the top and splash the gals with bottles of water as they entered the locker room. 

"We just beat some sorry Boston ass! All we need is one more game to finish out the series and we'll sweep em'." Pinoe dang as she stripped off her clothes. 

"Damn HAO were did that strong arm come from? You gave us two runs with that hit." Alex asked. 

HAO shrugged and flexed her impressive biceps. "It must be the Irish in me."

"Lend me some why don't ya." Ashlyn joked as she wrapped a towel around herself. 

"Like you need any." HAO laughed and towel whipped her. 

Once the players all finished their post-game cycle of shower, change, recovery drink, and visiting Ali for some recovery. They were escorted to the vans provided before being dropped off at the hotel. Since the Boston game was played late in the afternoon, there was a small dinner for the players to refuel on before going to bed. Almost all of them took their plates to their rooms so they could sleep right after. 

Ashlyn was on the edge of her bed eating and watching Sports Center to catch up on the other baseball teams season so far. She was actually able to get highlights from Kansas vs Los Angeles game. She was halfway through her dinner when Ali came in the room with her own plate. 

"What took you so long?" Ashlyn asked and finished off her food. 

Ali plopped down on her own bed, "I forgot some of my stuff back at the stadium so I had to get a driver to take me back. I'm just so tired right now, so if you want extra dinner you can have it."

Ashlyn took Ali's plate and slid it into the mini fridge before cleaning her own plate. She laid down next to Ali and gently brushed some free wisps of hair from her ponytail behind Ali's ear. She gave a small smile when Ali's eyes closed at her touch. She leaned forward and kissed her nose and watched Ali's soft brown eyes flicker back open and scan over her face. 

"I never noticed that you have so many freckles." Ali said in such a low voice that Ashlyn almost thought she was whispering. 

"All a product of the Florida sun, I'd spend hours in the sun just surfing or out playing baseball." Ashlyn answered. "But as you can see, this cold weather is killing my barely visible tan as it is. I'm hoping we go to some sunny states soon."

"I try to imagine you all tan but I keep seeing an oompa loompa or the Jersey Shore tans. You must want to be an orange so bad, huh Green Giant?" Ali joked while leaning up on her arm. 

Ashlyn raised an eyebrow and scooted closer until their noses weer practically touching. "Okay jokester. Would you spend tomorrow with me? We're gonna hang out as a team first and then we can split up into pairs or something. But I want to spend that time with you if it's okay?"

"That's fine." Ali agreed and gave her a short kiss. She knew that was enough to rile Ashlyn up and turn it into a full blown make out session. Which was exactly what happened. When they were satisfied and completely out of breath, Ali cuddled into Ashlyn's frame and reveled in the warmth of the pitcher's strong arms. This was an utopia for both women, shielded from anything and anyone that threatened what they had in the room. Both were looking forward to tomorrow.


	14. Aquarium Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be able to post the next chapter for a few hours

The team walked down the busy street, being stopped every step for a picture or autograph. The players were always humble to their fans despite the fact they were just booed by them last night. It was a bit hard for the team to enjoy their day off but this was such a common occurrence for them anyways. So Andy decided to for them to do a quick spur of the moment meet and greet session in the coffee shop that were in at the moment. 

Pretty soon the coffee shop was filled to capacity and had lines leading out of the coffee shop and down the street. Ashlyn had the longest lines and wildest fans because she was no doubt the fave of the team and one of the major faces for the women's baseball league. They signed and took pictures for nearly two hours before they had to go, apologizing to the fans that they didn't reach. 

"Okay Aussieroo, where are we going now?" Pinoe asked while they walked back to the vans. 

"Anything you want to do Gumby. We'll be flying back tomorrow so if you want pair up and have some legal fun around the city go ahead. Just text me where your going so I know where to find yall." Andy explained and hopped into the front seat. 

"Got it coach." The rest of the women called out and began formulating who was going with who and where. 

Ashlyn nudged Ali with her shoulder and held up her phone. Ali leaned over to look but felt her own phone vibrate, she pulled it out and smiled. 

**Green Giant: Want to go to the aquarium with me? I know it's pretty chilly outside but I want to spend some time with you.**

**Short Stack: Of course, although I'm not the biggest fan of ocean life, I'm a fan of you. ;)**

**Green Giant: Do I detect some fangirl in you, Mrs.Krieger ;)**

**Short Stack: Watch yourself Harris, this woman fangirls for no one :P**

Ashlyn grinned to herself before turning to Ali who was sporting a similar grin while facing her phone. Ashlyn's first instinct was to kiss the woman next to her but the people around her stopped that urge. She settled for linking their fingers together in a way that no one could see, they both sported slight smiles all the back to the hotel.

The players paired or grouped up before heading in their separate ways. Ashlyn wrapped an arm around Ali's shoulder and led her to a different van. They were nearly there until Whitney popped up with HAO and stopped them. Ashlyn could feel Ali tense a bit once Whitney came into view and decided she needed to put an end to this. 

"You know Whit, you're just the person I was looking for. HAO can you keep Ali occupied right quick?" Ashlyn said and linked arms with her bestfriend, dragging her back inside the hotel. She dragged her all the way into the hotel lobby restroom and closed the door behind them. After she made sure that all the stalls were empty, she turned back to her best friend. 

"Okay, you've been watching me and Ali like a hawk, and I can tell you've been dying to say something. So out with it!" Ashlyn stated with her arms crossed.

Whitney narrowed her eyes at the pitcher. "Are you crazy? You're really wondering why you've been getting looks from me? It's because you're kissing a married woman. I don't know if Ali and her husband have an open marriage, which I highly doubt, so what the hell are you two doing?!"

"It doesn't concern you! We, Ali and I will discuss it, but right now we're fine with how things are. We don't need you giving us judgmental looks from the back of the van." Ashlyn argued.

"So what? When it's time to fly back, you go home to your place and Ali back to her husband? Is that what you want? Or is she leaving him for you? Or maybe you two will have an affair behind the scenes? Enlighten me on which shitty choice is it." Whitney bit back with enough bite in her tone to surprise Ashlyn.

"I...we...we hadn't got that far." Ashlyn said a bit dejectedly, her head snapping down to look at her feet and the tiles she stood on.

Whitney snorted, "I didn't think so. Figure it out now before something bad happens. Because if it does, you know damn well it ain't gonna be pretty, for you or Ali."

Ashlyn leaned onto the bathroom wall and laid her hands over her eyes. She let out a loud exhale before removing her hands. "It's just I've never felt what I did with Ali, and she said the same. What we shared that night was amazing, not just because it's something new but because we have feelings for each other. Whit I'm telling you, I wouldn't do this if we both didn't feel something for each other."

"I know Ash, but you two need to figure what's going to happen next because it's going to get complicated very quickly if you don't."

"I know Whit." Ashlyn sighed and pulled herself from the wall. 

"Just..." Whitney ran her hands through her hair, trying to come up with a solution to say. She wish she had an answer for her best friend but she didn't, she really didn't. "Do what is right to both you and Ali, that's all I can say."

Ashlyn nodded and gave Whitney a tight hug before leaving the restroom. She knew her best friend had a point, they absolutely needed to figure out what exactly they were doing and how they were going to proceed once they get back to DC. But whenever she saw Ali, all her worries seemed to ebb away, that noise crinkled smile that Ali showed her way was enough to break her down in a great way. She knew she wanted Ali more than anything right now, she just hoped that Ali wanted the same. 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn and Ali went through the aquarium with a guide the entire time. They had fans following them but surprisingly, Ashlyn never stopped to interact with the fans or media outlets. It was definitely a different experience for Ali to have people practically follow them around while they tried to enjoy their day. As much as the both of them would like to have held the other's hand, the big elephant in the room were the people following them and that was enough to stop their urges. 

"Anything in particular that you want to see?" Ashlyn whispered, cautious of the people around them. 

Ali shrugged, she was amazed at the beauty of marine life but Ali would've rather them have bought lunch and spend all their time talking and enjoying their time together before they had to get back to the "real world". The thought of going back to "real world" terrified her, the thought of losing this happiness and peace that she felt with the pitcher terrified her. But Ali couldn't think about telling her husband about what she did. Everytime her eyes flickered to the ring on her heavy peacoat and winter mits covered body, she felt a certain amount of shame for the actions she had committed and still was, but to look up and see that freckled face with the bright hazel green eyes and the vibrant smile that melted away her problems and worries made everything she was doing now worth it. Ali was a conflicted mess of emotions, morals, ethics, and what is right to herself. Being at this aquarium was doing nothing to sort and appease her thoughts. 

"Ali? Ali, are you okay?" Ashlyn asked with worry clear in her voice. 

Ali nodded and stood from the polished wooden seat they were in. "Can we just head back?"

"Yea sure, let me just tell our guide so we can head back." Ashlyn quickly explained to the guide and he led them out of the aquarium along with the fans and media outlets following them. Ashlyn apologized to the people as she helped Ali inside their blacked out van and drove away. 

"Well I guess you didn't enjoy that too much." Ashlyn chuckled. 

"To be honest, no. It's weird to be followed everywhere you go but I'll get used to it. Thank you though for the afternoon out, it was a nice sentiment."

Ashlyn nodded and drummed her fingers on her thighs. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Can we just get some food, head back to our hotel room and hang out?" Ali suggested. 

"Yea, I'm fine with that."

●●●●●●

Ashlyn and Ali laid on Ashlyn's bed with their feet on the pillows and the food at the bottom of the bed. They splurged on some organic restaurant's entire lunch menu that Ashlyn thought was absolutely delicious which prompted her to try and sneak a few bites of Ali's own. A few light rebuttals from Ali was enough to stop the pitcher from taking Ali's food. 

Once they finished their lunch, Ashlyn propped herself up on an elbow and looked to Ali. "What are we doing?"

Ali looked up before averting her eyes from the pitcher and down to the empty to-go boxes of food. She eyes snapped back up when Ashlyn's fingers found hers, intertwining them. She knew this moment was coming, but she wasn't prepared at all for when it came. "I...I'm enjoying my time with you."

"So am I, but are we...together? Are we trying to get together or is this just an escape for the both of us, like an affair?" Ashlyn clarified.

"When I'm with you I feel like this is what I've been missing for months, that this was the kind of person that I'm supposed to be with from the start. You're everything that I've been missing but I'm married." Ali stated and saw Ashlyn's facial expression slump, she reached over and took the pitcher's other hand. "I have feelings for you Ashlyn, I don't know when or how it happened but I'm not mad nor do I regret it happening. You make me forget my worries, and bring me such happiness that I can't deny. I wish I knew what I wanted to do right at this moment because then everything would be so much easier, but I don't."

Ashlyn nodded, she knew Ali wouldn't be able to make such a big decision in just a few days. A few years ago if someone asked her would she ever be a part of an affair, Ashlyn would vehemently say no. But Ali seemed worth it, no Ali was worth it. Although, having an affair was not the relationship Ashlyn wanted with Ali, she knew that's what they could only be until Ali divorced Matthew.

"I get it. It's not ideal but I do have feelings for you. I want us to be together Ali, I don't want us to have to wait until we're hidden in secrecy while traveling for games to be together." Ashlyn stated. 

Ali nodded and scooted into Ashlyn's body, placing her head on Ashlyn's chest with her dark hair covering it. "I know and I feel horrible for doing this to you. It's not fair to you, it's not fair to Matt."

"Look, take care of what you need to, whether that means being with me or being with your husband. I won't push you. I just want you to be happy." Ashlyn smiled, leaning down to kiss her forehead and then capturing her lips in a deep kiss. 

Ali's fingers gripped the sides the pitcher, pulling her as close as she could to her own body. Ashlyn pulled back enough to slip her shirt off along with Ali's. Ali's head tipped back when Ashlyn's warm lips came in contact with the skin above her bra covered breasts. Ashlyn's hands that roamed over her body was enough to send Ali into some kind of sensory overload. The pitcher's touch was enough to make her senseless. 

Ali's hands glided over the strong core of Ashlyn's midsection, feeling the strong muscles beneath soft skin. She could hear and feel the moan Ashlyn let out on her lips, prompting her to drag her nails down the taut abs and stop at the waistband of her jeans. 

"Good you're beautiful Ali." Ashlyn breathed on her lips before kissing down her throat, stopping where her chin met her ear and sucked hard. She ran her tounge over the freshly made mark and kissed it gently before tilting Ali's head back to her and kissed her deeply again. They both knew that they weren't going to go any further than this but they also knew that they wanted to relish this closeness of their bodies, the warmth and and curves were enthralling, it was hard for them both to turn away, but none wanted to anyways. They wanted each other, the rest could wait.


	15. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm done watching my Texans get decimated in the playoffs, here's another chapter! However, you all will most likely not like this chapter but it had to be done /.\

Ali entered her home while dragging in her bag. Throughout the entire plane ride back to DC Ali racked her brain for how to explain the atrocity she commited while away. Shame had been hanging over head since she woke up for her flight and she wished it didn't happen but she couldn't take it back. She was going to tell him, she had to. She dropped her bag in the laundry room and stopped in her tracts once she entered the living room and saw a bottle of half finished Jack Daniels and Matthew practically fuming in his seat on the couch. Ali stepped closer to the coffee table and went to move the alcohol bottle but Matthew's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in an extremely tight grip. 

"Do not touch it." Matthew growled. His words came out in a harsh, clipped way. 

Ali looked at him in surprise and tried get out of his grip but it proved hard. "Matthew let go." She whimpered, never had he grabbed her this hard and his demeanor was quite frightening. This was increasingly reminiscent of how Matthew behaved nearly a year ago. It was a reason why they nearly got divorced and it was definitely a side of Matthew that Ali never wanted to see again. 

"Why so you can go and fuck the pitcher of that team?!" Matthew spat in disgust before roughly yanking her onto the couch. He still had his grip on her wrist as he turned to pull the magazine from his side. 

"Matthew, I..." Ali started but Matthew slammed his glass of Whiskey on the table, startling her. 

"Don't fucking lie to me!" 

Ali looked back down at the magazine where it had Ashlyn and Ali front and center while they were at the aquarium. The title was what made Ali cringe even more, **"Washington Senator's Pitcher Out On Intimate Aquarium Date"**. This was not how she wanted to tell him, not this way at all. 

"You cheated on me, that's what you're going to tell me. After all that crap about trust and promises, you do this!" Matthew spat with venom. "What kind of stupid shit was that?! Do you want to marry her?!"

"It's just that we're always fighting, I couldn't stand it. I can't stand it! Ashlyn made me happy, she gave me a peace of mind for once in a long time." Ali explained. "I want us to work through our differences but god it's so tiring to do it every single day. Not to mention the fact that everytime you say you're going to do something, you do the complete opposite."

Matthew finally let go of her wrist and scoffed. "So you're telling me it's my fault? Did I tell you to go and cheat? Did I cheat on you? No, I didn't. That's such bullshit Alex. But fine, if you want to blame me for it, think about it this way, you cheated on me and I have 'drinking problems'. See, tit for tat, now we're equal." He finished with air quotation marks over 'drinking problems'.

"That doesn't make any sense. It's not a game!" Ali yelled at the absurdity of her husband's comment. Part of her didn't want to listen to him since he polished off half a bottle of whiskey, but the crazy thing was that he wasn't even drunk considering how much alcohol he consumed before she came home. Not to mention he worded it as if his drinking problems were a figment of her imagination. 

"Well you want to know what also doesn't make sense, you preaching to me about promises and telling the truth and then you go and CHEAT on me while you're on a fucking business trip!" Matthew bit back. "Does that make any damn sense to you? Because I thought we were going to talk about this, and work it out. But apparently I had the wrong memo, because you cheated on me."

Ali hung her head in shame and shook it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it. It felt right at the time but I should've known better. I would feel horrible if it happened to me, so I can only imagine how you feel. The moment the plane landed I knew I needed to tell you, I was going to tell you, I wasn't going to hide it from you." Ali explained, she wrung her hands together while picking at the sides of her fingernails. Explaining it hurt her deep, never once did she believe that she'd be the one to have an affair, no matter how far she went in it, the shame was still the same. Her time with Ashlyn was euphoric but now that she was back in the "real world", her actions had consequences. 

"And I'm glad you were going to tell me, it makes me feel a lot better knowing that you weren't going to hide it from me." Matthew said. "Alex, I love you, I really do. I know that you as much as I want to fix our marriage, because all this fighting is too much for anyone to keep doing. But Alex, I need you to tell me exactly what you did with her?"

Ali gave him a look that begged him not to make her go into it but he didn't budge. 

"No, you don't get to give me those eyes. Now speak." 

"We kissed more than once and we kissed without our shirts as well." The moment she finished, her face felt like it was on fire. It was embarrassing and shameful to explain this to her husband but she had to, she needed to, especially if they wanted to fix their marriage. Except part of her just wanted to end it, end her marriage right now and see what she and Ashlyn could be. "I...I think that we...should take break. I-I've been miserable, Matt. We need a break before we can actually evaluate ourselves."

Matthew blew out a hard breath, ignoring her last statement and leaned onto his knees and reached for the glass of whiskey. Ali was about to say something about it but he sent a look her way that stopped her. "Don't Alex, I'm serious. In fact, I think that it would be better for everyone if you didn't come in contact with that pitcher."

"I work there, I can't just avoid her, I have to do my job." Ali argued, she didn't voice any anger but just wanted to argue that this was her job. Plus the thought of being away from Ashlyn did something to her heart that she couldn't explain. She didn't want to know how it'd feel like. 

Out of nowhere Matthew threw the glass at the wall and burst up from his spot on the couch. "Are you fucking kidding me! Find someone else to help, it doesn't have to be you! There are more physical trainers in that damn facility, it doesn't have to be YOU!"

"Okay. Okay, I'll limit the contact I have with her unless it's absolutely necessary." Ali said in a bargaining tone, she didn't want him getting any more angrier than he was now. If anything she was hoping to defuse the situation. The fact that he didn't even acknowledge her statement of taking some time away from each other and he was angry right now, was enough not to reapproach the subject of taking a break. 

Matthew dragged his hand over his stubble covered face. "Good, now give me your phone."

"What do you need my phone for?"

"I need to make sure that she gets the message." Matthew explained like it was common knowledge. 

"I'm not a child, if you start sending texts it is only going to make the situation worse. I have to stay professional. I can explain things to her when I get to work tomorrow." Ali reasoned. She could only imagine what he'd say to her. 

"Stay professional? Are you fucking kidding me?" Matthew's face practically snarled into complete anger and fury and slapped the Jack Daniels bottle off of the table and onto the floor before getting into Ali's space. Ali flinched back to the arm of the couch but Matthew gave her no leeway, taking her bicep in his hand and squeezing it under his strong hand. "Look at what you made me do! Just give me your damn phone!" He yelled as he pointed to mess and yanked on her arm. 

"Fine! Take it!" Ali shoved the phone in his hand as tears welled in her eyes. She attempted to stand to try and leave but he grabbed her by the same wrist in what seemed like a bone crushing hold, causing her to cry out. 

"No, you don't get to walk away, we're going to do this together." Matthew stated with a low tone.

Ali gave a defeated sigh and nodded before sitting back down on the couch. "Are you at least going to clean up the glass?" She asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper. 

Matthew peered over the table and placed Ali's phone on the coffee table before going off to the kitchen to grab gloves, a bag and a rag. Ali sighed and watched him clean up the mess he'd caused. He forgot to put the gloves on before he went to pick up the glass, Ali knew he was going to get cut. 

"Damn it!" Matthew hissed and pulled his bleeding ring finger into his mouth. 

Ali immediately wiped her tears and went to the bathroom to grab their first aid kit. She bent down and took his hand in her own, popping open the first aid kit, she took out antiseptic wipes and a bandaid. Ali wiped her husband's cut finger with the antiseptic wipe, she heard him hiss in pain. If there was something that Ali found ironic about her husband was the fact that he was a big baby when it to came pain, even though he would readily cause it. As she cleaned up his cut, he tried to pull away a few times but Ali held his hand firmly. When she finally finished, Matthew looked like a sad and deflated puppy, his hand lightly touched the newly forming dark purple bruise on her wrist. 

"Oh god what's wrong with me? Look at what I did to you. What kind of a husband am I, what kind of a person am I?" Matthew whispered as his fingers barely flitted over the dark purple mark. His tears dropped onto her bruised wrist as he looked at it in absolute shame. "Baby I'm so sorry, oh I'm so sorry I didn't mean to do this. I swear I didn't."

Ali nodded and held his face between her hands. "I know you didn't. Can you start dinner? I'll clean this up, okay."

"Okay." Matthew agreed and stood away from the mess. He casted another look at the mess he caused and retreated into the kitchen.

●●●●●●

Dinner was different than when Ali got home. Instead of the hostility and rage that she faced when she first steppd in her home, she was now faced with a reserved and quiet husband who looked more ashamed than anything. Ali ate dinner but Matthew pushed his food around, everytime he looked up to his wife's wrist and bicep, he would lose his appetite. The fact that the bruise was more prominent was a reminder enough that he was a failure of a husband and person. Ali had tried to reassure that they both had made mistakes, but they could learn from them. It took a while but Matthew finally started to eat and get out of his pool of self-pity. 

When they finished, Matthew offered to sleep on the couch tonight but Ali declined. Matthew cleaned up the dishes and leaned in the doorway of their bedroom, Ali had already showered and sat on the bed looking at him. 

"I should shower..."

"You can shower Matt. Go ahead." Ali encouraged. 

When he entered the bathroom, Ali's fingers hovered over Ashlyn's contact and contemplated calling it. But she didn't know what to say, "I'm sorry but we have to stop" or "My husband found out, so goodbye"? Ali was lost at this point, everything seemed better when they didn't have to come back from Boston. "Real life" sucked at this point but it was the price to pay for her actions and now she was going to have to fix it. Despite her husband's words, she honestly believed that Ashlyn deserved to hear from her face to face, not over the phone or in a text message. She owed her real words, for dragging her into this mess, she deserved that much. She just needed to figure out what to say. 

Ali turned off her phone when the shower stopped. She laid facing away from the shower and Matthew's side. A few minutes later she felt the bed dip and the smell of her husband permeate her senses. She could tell he was having an internal battle on whether he had the right to be close or not, and although Ali could absolutely understand it, they needed to take steps now to fix their marriage. So she turned over, laying her head on the crook of his arm and placing a hand on his side.

"Sleep Matt." Ali whispered. She felt him nod and hold her closer before the lamp turned off.

"I'm sorry Alex I-"

"It's okay Matt, I know." Ali whispered. She's dealt with this side of her husband many times before to know that he was feeling like crap and he would only continue to beat himself up on it. He needed to hear her say that she forgives him, whether it's the truth or not. Either that, or he'll wake up in the morning, drink and then treat her like shit and blame her for everything that happened.

"I forgive you Matt. I know you didn't mean to and I get that. Now please go to sleep." Ali stated and rubbed her thumb across his broad chest. 

"Okay, I love you too Alex, to the moon and back. I swear this won't happen again. I promise." Matthew vowed.

"I believe you." Ali choked out and squeezed her eyes shut to staunch her tears. Her mind told her that this was all wrong, no one is allowed to treat you like this, but the words were stuck in throat. Her mind wouldn't let her rest, it kept showing her all the events of today like a list of reasons as to why she needed to leave. The worst part was that Ali knew she needed to do something about this but she could only think of what Matt might do if she re-approached the idea of taking a break. There was a certain feeling of hopeless because she couldn't work up the courage to change her situation because she was afraid of how her husband might react. Ali could hear his light snores signaling that he was already asleep while her brain kept her up. She thought of what she could have with Ashlyn and all it made her do was silently cry herself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things always get worse before they get better.


	16. You'll Be My First Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short but, you know xp

Ali pulled into the stadium, she was going to help with the team's gym and weight session again this morning. It was a major difference she faced with Matthew this morning than upon her arrival and dinner, he was more apologetic. He made her breakfast and bought her flowers that he already snipped to place in a vase, he was attentive, he seemed closer to the Matthew she first met in college rather than the one ruled by alcohol and anger.

Ali entered the stadium and went down to her office, she automatically heard the loud chatter of the players. She never understood how such a large group of women could be so rambunctious the morning. She grabbed her tapes and creams before going into the recovery room that was already packed. 

"Kriegs! We thought you weren't coming." Pinoe yelled from one of the tables. 

"No I'm here, just a little late." Ali explained and went to work on Abby.

Ali could feel Ashlyn staring at her and she wasn't surprised. Generally she and Ashlyn could joke with each other upon arrival and in front of others. But today was definitely different. She hadn't even looked at Ashlyn once since she came into the stadium. And as she winded closer to the pitcher, Ali needed to think about what she was going to do. So she decided to stay neutral and wrap up her elbow how she liked it. She could tell Ashlyn wanted to talk but she needed to be professional, at least in this moment with everyone in the room. 

When Ali and some of the assistants finished with the players, the room slowly but quickly began to empty. Ali was about to grab some essential items for during their gym and lifting sessions but Ashlyn slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. Ali jumped and dropped everything she had in her hands and onto the floor. 

"Jeez Ashlyn, you can't sneak up on me like that." Ali chastised while bending down to pick them up. 

Ashlyn leaned down with her. "I had to, you were avoiding me."

"I wasn't, I'm just busy." Ali defended weakly. 

Ashlyn's eyes flickered up to give her a look of "Are you kidding me?" but her eyes never got that far. Instead they landed on the dark purple mark that seemed to peek out from what looked like concealer. Her hand reached out and took Ali's hand. 

"What happened to your wrist?" Ashlyn asked with eyes full of worry. 

Ali contemplated lying, but if she had to lie then clearly something was wrong. But to anyone looking from the outside would see her relationship with Matthew as toxic, so explaining would be even harder. 

"Did Matthew do this to you?" 

Ali's eyes closed in defeat, Ashlyn could already see the truth before she had the chance lie or tell the truth. She opened her mouth to say that Matthew had grabbed her so hard that it left a bruise she couldn't hide with concealer. But her mind froze up on her and she decide to go the apology route. 

"Ashlyn it was an accident..." Ali hoped to ease the pitcher's mind with her statement but to tell the truth it sounded like an excuse no matter how she worded it. She couldn't even believe the words that were leaving her mouth. She could see Ashlyn's jaw tighten while her eyes focused on the mark. 

Ashlyn sat on the ground and gently tugged on the hem of Ali's shirt to coax get into doing the same. Once seated, she took one of the cloths from a table and wet it with water before gently rubbing off the concealer from Ali's wrist. Her brows furrowed as she saw the extent of the damage to Ali's wrist. She was surprised at the fact Ali could even work with her wrist that bruised. Ashlyn gently wrapped her hands over the deep purple bruise before lifting it up her wrist and kissing the bruise. She looked up to Ali who was watching her intently, she reached over with one hand and cupped her cheek. She wasn't going to kiss Ali, she wanted to make sure that Ali was okay first and foremost.

"Are you okay? Please tell me the truth." Ashlyn asked, but it sounded more like she was pleading with Ali to tell her.

Ali nodded. "I'm okay. Now you need to go and work out before you fall behind. I'll be there in a sec."

Ashlyn looked her over before answering. "Fine but Ali please tell me if something is wrong, please."

"I will." 

Ashlyn nodded and gave her one last right hug before she jogged down to gym. She knew by Ali's actions that whatever they had started in Boston wasn't going any further than that. It pained her to know that Matthew was hurting Ali, especially when he's intoxicated, but she couldn't do anything about it. Most likely her presence near Matthew could set him off, and cause detrimental results for Ali. She needed a safe way to get Ali away from Matthew, even if Ali buried her feelings for her or not. 

●●●●●●

When the recovery session was over and with the Senators all packed up for to leave, Ali grabbed her bags and keys before heading to the parking lot. Her phone vibrated with a text message from her husband saying that he had dinner ready. She unlocked her car doors and waved goodbye to the players before heading home. 

**Green Giant: I mean it Ali, anything you need, just call and I'll be there. I promise.**

**Short Stack: Thank you, I'll always remember what you said and if the need ever arises, you'll be my first call. I promise.**

**Green Giant: Okay, stay true to your words Ali, and be smart about it.**

**Short Stack: I will. Talk to you later :)**

**Green Giant: I look forward to it :)**

Ali turned off her cell phone screen with a smile on her face she didn't even notice she was wearing. No matter how strong Ali tried to be, her feelings for Ashlyn were effortless. But she loved her husband and coming inside to see a very nice dinner cooked and set up by her husband only brightened her grin. This was the man she married, the sweet kind man that won her over in college, the same man that won her heart over and asked to marry her. This was the Matthew she knew and loved and she couldn't help but think that maybe there was hope for them after all. 

"Hey babe." Matthew grinned and showed off his brilliant, perfect, white smile. He gave her a kiss and led her to the table that was decorated in flowers and had a bottle of sparkling apple cider. There was no alcohol of any kind present on the table and in that moment Ali felt like they were making very real progress after so many months. 

"Hey, what's all this?" Ali smiled back as she put her bags down and Matthew quickly picked them up and deposited them in the laundry room. 

"I made dinner, I thought we could honestly use a date night and since I got home before you after doing since shopping, I took it upon myself to do so." Matthew leaned down and kissed her softly. He pulled out her chair so they could start dinner. 

"So what did you do all day?" Ali asked. 

"Just cleaning. I had a headache so I called in sick, and then I thought we could have a date night in our own home. So since I had plenty of time on my hands, dinner was made, candles were lit and flowers were bought, and thus date night was born." Matthew said in his best announcer voice. 

"Well I think this is great, thank you Matt, really."

"You shouldn't have to thank me, Alex. We should be doing these things, giving ourselves some time to just be with each other considering the fact that we're all over the place because of our jobs." Matthew explained. 

"I agree, time for us is really a great feeling especially since it's been a while." Ali said bur in her head she felt like it was a little too late. 

"I'm glad you agree." He leaned over and pecked her lips before going back to his food. 

They finished up their dinner and Ali agreed to wash the dishes while he set up Netflix on the bedroom tv. Ali went to shower before she joined him on the bed. Matthew wasn't a big fan of the tv show Scandal but he knew his wife was and knew that she also wanted to finish it, so he pressed the button to watch it and leaned back into the headboard. He gave Ali a smile when he felt her lie into his side and place a hand on his abdomen. He wrapped am arm around her shoulder before kissing the crown of her hair and turning back to the tv show. The moment was reminiscent for both husband and wife to their college days.


	17. Trash the Trojans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna go ahead and throw this one on out.

The Senators were back at home with their next game against the San Francisco Trojans. The Trojans were a quick play team, known especially for their fast runners in both the outfield and the bases, not to mention having the highest double play stats in the women's season so far. The Trojans were at the top of the American League, whereas the Senators were at the top of the National League at the moment. The stadium was packed with fans, players from the men's Washington Nationals and even some celebrities to see the two top teams face off. Andy was never one to put undue pressure on them to win but this game was definitely an exception. He made sure the team knew that nothing other than winning was acceptable. 

The loocker room was much different than their normal boisterous selves. The wooden benches were lined with players doing their game day rituals, whether it were eating some kind of food in exact quantities, lacing up their cleats a certain and so on. Andy had already gone over the game plan for tonight and each player was going to make sure that their part. Ashlyn was given the green light to bat as well tonight.

When Andy followed by the other specific coaches and medical staff came into the locker room clapping his hands together to get the players attention.

"Game time ladies. Tonight is not an ordinary night, tonight is the night that you're judged by your peers, fans and sports analysts. You fuck up tonight and ask you'll be remembered as all season is the flops when it comes to going against tough foes until the post season comes. If you want to be washouts then mess up tonight and lose. But if you want to be fucking dominating and reigning champions all season long then we're gonna go out there and beat some hippie California ass!"

The players and staff yelled in agreement, each person was fired up for the game tonight. There could be no "we almost won", it could only be "we won" at the end of the night. And there was no way in hell that the Senators planned on losing tonight, no absolute way.

Andy opened the door leading to their dugout and gave each player and staff member a hard pat on the back while shouting words of encouragement. They filled the dugout, only the players who were batting stood outside the dugout while the national anthem played. Once it concluded, the crowd roared and the announcers riled them up some more with the way they were introducing and calling the game.

Ashlyn was seated in the dugout since she was going to pitch the whole game but not bat until at least the 7th inning, Andy and both the batting and pitching coach didn't want her doing too much yet despite the fact that Ali cleared her for full strength. She wasn't mad because she needed to be on top of her pitching all night if they wanted to shut the Trojans down tonight. 

The batting order was going to be Pinoe first as always, Alex next, then Syd, and Abby and possibly Moe depending on the way the game went. Pinoe stepped up to bat and hit a hard ball down past the center fielder, she was able to just make it to first base before the first baseman was able to try and tag her out. Pinoe raised her hands to clap along with the crowd. Alex went up to bat but was struck out in no time by the Trojan's pitcher. The team gave her high fives and words of encouragement as she came back into the dugout. 

Syd was up to two strikes before she connected with the ball but it fell into the foul zone. She tried to swing again but a fast ball from the Trojan pitcher struck her out. Abby went up to the home plate and on her first swing she hit a hard ball up and through the outfield but as the ball look as if it was going over the wall and intuitive the home run category, a fast center fielder jumped up and caught the ball, giving the Senators three outs.

"It's okay, it's okay. Ashlyn give them hell." He clapped her back and the others as they exited the dugout.

Ashlyn pitched hard for the first inning and closing the inning at 0-0. The next several innings went the same way until they were coming into the 8th inning. Tobin hit a nice ball all the way into the corner of the outfield and gave her a solid run to second base. Moe was able to walk to first base because the pitcher threw four balls. Crystal went up and hit a hard ball past the first base. Tobin was able to get to third base but Crystal and Moe were tagged out in a double play. Hope took the plate and hit a ground ball straight down the middle, Tobin crossed the home plate before Hope was tagged out, giving the Senators their first run. 

Ashlyn, the outfielders and infielders all jogged out to their correct positions, Whitney got situated behind the home plate and nodded to Ashlyn signaling that she was ready. Ashlyn have a smile before she made the first Trojan batter get two strikes before they hit the ball well into the outfield and past a diving Syd. The Trojan batter was only able to get to first base before the baseball made it back to the pitcher's mound. The second batter tapped the plate before readying her stance, Ashlyn knew this girl had the best batting average on the team but she didn't expect for the woman hit her fast ball and nail her right in the side of her abdomen. The crowd and the Senator's dugout all gasped as Ashlyn kneeled over in pain but still picked up the fallen baseball and threw it to first base to try and tag the Trojan runner out but to no avail. Ashlyn grimaced as she caught the ball and winded up for the next pitch, her side practically screamed at her to stop. But Ashlyn continued pitching through the 8th inning, closing the inning with the score of 1-3 in favor of the Trojans. Ashlyn knew her pitches were sloppy, she all but ripped the cap off of her head and stalked to the dugout while cursing.

Andy gave her a hard look, "Brush it off Harris. Can you still play, yes or no? And please be honest because we play them again in a few days."

"I can play coach, don't worry about it." Ashlyn reassured while trying to gain any mobility she could in her side. The pain was damn near excruciating but she made sure to keep her face blank as best as she could. 

Ali quickly came over to Ashlyn to quickly assess the damage on the blonde. She unbuckled Ashlyn's pants before pulling her shirt free and pushing the compression shirt as well. Ashlyn's abdomen look to be in the beginning stages of bruising but Ali couldn't determine from this alone if she had any broken ribs. She pressed a few times and heard Ashlyn react with a guttural hiss that had her grabbing Ali's arm quite a few times. She sprayed some ice relieving spray after rubbing in a numbing cream. Once she finished she helped Ashlyn get dressed again. 

"Krieger, can she play?" The batting coach asked.

Ali nodded, she could feel Ashlyn's look of desperation to help her team. But Ali stayed firm to her internal decision. "She can play only if she can power through the pain, I can't tell if any bones are broken so as of right now I would let her play."

"Alright then, Harris you're going to be the sixth batter on the lineups." The batting coach informed. "Go ahead and warm up with Ali watching you."

Ashlyn and Ali went over to the batting areawhile watching their team bat in the 9th inning. Ali would correct Ashlyn's form or reapply some numbing cream, ice spray, or muscle tape while the blonde swung. Ashlyn and Ali cheered and clapped as the bases were loaded and the 5th batter in the lineup; Hope, took the base. She was struck out which meant they now had two outs and it was Ashlyn's turn to step up. 

Ali gave her back a quick rub and leaned up to whisper in her ear. "You got this, just breathe and you'll be fine."

Ashlyn nodded and jogged back into the dugout to grab her bat and helmet before stepping on the home plate. The crowd roared possibly the loudest she'd heard all night and she didn't want to be conceited but she knew it was because she stepped in the plate. She gave her teammates who were on the bases a look before facing the Trojan pitcher. The pitcher sent a hard ball past Ashlyn and the umpire called the first strike. Ashlyn blew a hard breath before squaring up for another pitch, she swung but just missed it, giving her her second strike.

"C'mon Ash! You got this!" Ali yelled clearly from the dugout.

Ashlyn gave a subtle nod, grateful that she could hear her voice clearly from the crowd. The Trojan pitcher gave a smirk as if she already had the game in the bag. The Trojan pitcher winded up and threw a hard fast ball that Ashlyn swung and solidly connected onto which sent it high up into the air and way out of the stadium. The entire stadium shook as the fans jumped up and went crazy in the stands. 

"And it's out of here! Ashlyn Harris is back with a Grand Slam, putting the Senators up 5-3 in the top of the 9th inning!" The announcer yelled.

Ashlyn finished her lap around the bases and sprinted back to the dugout where her teammates were trying to jump on her but she narrowly avoided them and scooped up Ali in a tight hug. Ali wrapped her arms around her neck and secured her legs around her torso as she smiled into her hair. The crowd awwed as the scene was on the jumbotron and the rest of the Senators and staff gave Ashlyn hard pats on the back before the women broke away so Ashlyn could grab her cap and mitt.

"You were freaking awesome." Ali grinned while holding onto her shirt.

"It's cause I had you in my corner." Ashlyn grinned before jogging up to the pitcher's mound. Ashlyn knew she needed to put this game to bed, no runs were going to be allowed, and with the crowd and her team behind her, she just couldn't let that happen. 

Ashlyn easily struck out the first two Trojan batters, she allowed one person to get on the first base before striking out the last batter and winning the game. Ashlyn ran off the mound to get to the players pouring out of the dugout and jumpimg on each other.The crowd immediately started chanting "Ashlyn Harris" through the stadium. The batting and pitching coach dumped am entire cooler of gatorade over Ashlyn's back which had everyone laughing. 

"You're fucking magic." Whitney said as she pulled her best friend into a hard hug despite her wet clothing. 

The team went over to the foul area where they could easily reach some fans so they could sign, take pictures and even throw a few signed mits and caps before heading down into the locker room. Everyone gave Ashlyn high fives, pats on the back, hugs and Pinoe even dumped two bottles of water on her already soaked form. Ashlyn pulled her into a headlock and ruffled her hair before giving her a light shove and leaving the locker room in search of Ali. 

Ashlyn barely made it into the recovery room before Ali pounced on her with a tight hug. Ashlyn's arms immediately wrapped around Ali's body, breathing in her body spray that smelt like some kind of fruit and vanilla. She swear she felt Ali's lips graze her neck but it was so light that Ashlyn couldn't be sure. 

Ali pulled back enough to look at the pitcher, "I'm so proud of you, Green Giant. I told you I'd get you back to being a beast of a player."Ali couldn't deny the fact that she was immensely proud of the woman beside her. From Thommy John's surgery to hitting grand slams was definitely an achievement. 

"I'm just happy that my Short Stack was cheering for me all night." Ashlyn smiled back. 

Ali hopped down from her arms and patted Ashlyn's sides only to apologize when Ashlyn grimaced at the gesture. "Oh shit I forgot you hurt your side." 

Ashlyn's continued to hold onto her sides with a smile. "I don't care." She leaned her head down to Ali's and rested their foreheads together. 

"Ash, we can't." Ali said weakly, her speech and mind were on two completely different pages. She was already breathless from the proximity of the pitcher. Her clothes were soaked from hugging her and as much she should've cared, she didn't. She could feel the pitcher's breath on her own and felt compelled to cover her lips with her own, but didn't act on it. 

"I know." Ashlyn ran her hands down Ali's side and breathed in the scent of her. "Shower with me." She knew damn well this option was worse than kissing but Ashlyn needed something, Ali was like a feeling she couldn't forget or ignore, she needed her. 

Ali laid her head on Ashlyn's chest and sighed, "We can't. You know this. So go ahead and use my shower and get changed so I can work on your side."

Ashlyn kissed her forehead and nodded. She took her shower and changed and allowed Ali to work some of the pain out of her side. The rest of the team came in for recovery with Ali and the assistants.

Pinoe popped her head in the recovery room with one of the biggest smiles Ali had ever seen from her. 

"Guys, Andy just said that we could go clubbing tonight!" 

"He always let's us go clubbing." Syd yelled back. 

Pinoe rolled her eyes and flipped the young girl off. "Yea but we can drink tonight, dipshit."

"Ah gotcha bitch." 

"Love you too boo boo."

Ashlyn turned to Ali, "Are coming with?"

"Yea, Kyle will be there but I'm gonna stop by home to get changed." Ali replied. "I'll meet you guys there."

Ashlyn pulled her into a side hug which Ali returned before pulling away. "See you there."


	18. Help Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter for today :)

Ali stepped out of the shower and began to towel off. She was surprised that Matthew wasn't home yet considering it was past 10pm but she shrugged it off. She wrapped the towel around her frame and dug through her closet to retrieve clothing to go clubbing in. She laid out her outfit which was a nice black sleeveless dress that stopped mid-thigh, it was eye catching but not provocative. She slipped it on right when their front door slammed. 

"ALEX!" Matthew yelled, his voice practically dripped am immense amount of anger that would terrify someone. "You think this is fucking funny!"

Ali could hear his voice moving around the house as he looked for her. She grabbed her phone and a small duffel bag along with her small heels and purse that contained her car keys, credit cards and other identification materials before heading towards their bathroom. She pulled open the bathroom door right when Matthew burst into their bedroom. Ali quickly entered the bathroom and slammed the door, turning the lock as well before sitting down on the tile floor. She immediately felt the door shake as her husband's hands pounded on it. 

"Open the fucking door Alex!" Matthew slammed his hands on the door again which provoked a yelp from Ali on the other side. "You thought I wouldn't see you on tv?! You think I didn't see you jump into that bitch's arms!? I told you not to speak to her, I told you not to contact her, but you must think I'm a fucking joke! Cheating on me again aren't you!? You do things that really make me believe that you're fucking stupid!"

Ali brought her knees up to her chest and put her head down. This wasn't her husband, this was just an angry, jealous and most likely drunk man. It was how he was months ago if not worse. It's what nearly scared her to death and ended their marriage, it was someone she never thought she'd see again. 

A loud breaking sound smashed against the bathroom door and liquid seep into her dress from under the door. By the color and smell, it was definitely an alcohol bottle that Matthew threw against the bathroom door. She needed to calm him down by any means possible, because this was pure rage she was faced with at the moment. 

"Matthew please stop! We can talk about this, you don't have to yell or get angry!" Ali raised her voice so that she could be heard. She could hear him pacing around their bedroom muttering to himself before stopping. She didn't know why he stopped but she hoped it was because he calmed down. 

"Where are you going, huh? Because I saw you wearing a dress when you went in the bathroom? And don't you fucking dare lying to me because I'll put an end to it." Matthew hissed. 

His face must've been on the door because Ali could hear him clearly despite how low his tone was. Ali knew she could either lie to him and risk him getting even more angry or tell him the truth and wonder what his response will be. 

"I'm was going out with the team." Ali answered. Of course Ashlyn was going to be there but if she didn't say Ashlyn's name then he possibly couldn't be as mad. "I don't have to go, I could just stay here with you." She said in hopes of calming him down. Ali of course wanted no part in staying here but she didn't Matthew to get any angrier. 

Matthew snorted and slammed his fist back on the door, making Ali jump. "You think I'm fucking stupid? You're going there to cheat on me again with that damn pitcher! Open the door! Or I'll break it down and Alex if I have to break it down you will not like it."

"Matt, I'm not-"

"Open the fucking door NOW!" Matthew slammed his hands on the door again while turning the door knob and pushing the door to no avail. He moved away from the door and chuckled. "I know there's a key to this door, you want to act like a dumb bitch and keep lying to me? Fine. But when I open this door, Alex I swear to god. I swear to fucking god!"

Ali was near tears at this point. She didn't want to know what would happen if he found the key to the bathroom, and she didn't intend to. She was beyond scared and needed to get out of the place. She couldn't go through the door because Matthew was still there, so she pulled out her phone and dialed the only number she could think of as she heard him slam his body against the door before walking off in pursuit of the key. 

●●●●●●

The entire Senators team and even some of the Trojans were out in the club just having a good time despite the loss, no hard feelings were being thrown around. Surprisingly to everyone, Pinoe was actually the friendliest with the Trojans, since she was trying to get a date with one of their outfielders. Syd and Abby did everything in their power to mess up her chances, but all in good fun. Ashlyn had just come back from dancing with Alex, Crystal and Tobin, she spotted Kyle talking with Hope and decided to go over. 

"Hey dude." Ashlyn smiled. 

Kyle smiled back and gave her a tight hug. "I didn't think you'd show up tonight considering that hit you took tonight, but lo and behold here you are."

"What can we say, this woman is a robot. One time she took a ball to the face and still helped us win the World Series championship." Hope added in before taking her drink and leaving the table. 

"So that explains why you had two black eyes and a face mask at the championship game." Kyle laughed as he remembered the image of Ashlyn a few years ago. 

Ashlyn shook her head, she remembered that day clearly and not to mention the picture hanging up in her house. She couldn't deny the fact that she looked like she got in a fight with a Ronda Rousey, but the championship trophy in her hands made it all worth it. Not to mention she gained a lot of publicity from her appearance in that series. 

"Haha, I wasn't a pretty sight huh." Ashlyn gave Kyle a little elbow and sat down. "So where's Ali, she said she was coming but uh I haven't seen her yet."

Kyle's eyebrow rose well over their normal positions. He put down his soda, crossed his arms and grinned at Ashlyn."Hmm, I don't know but if I didn't know any better, I'd say you like my sister."

Ashlyn choked on her drink a bit and coughed to regain her breath. "No uh I just, Ali and I are friends, good friends actually, but I just wanted to know if she's coming. I thought you would know since you guys-"

"Oh my goodness stop your rambling. I know I know, but to be honest I wouldn't hate it if you were with my sister. And no it's not cause you're flithy rich." Kyle shrugged. "Her husband is a total tool and just like our dad. I know why she stays with him but I just can't wrap my head around it. Every time I see the guy, I want to kick his ass."

Ashlyn nodded, and wanted to ask what exactly Kyle meant but she didn't want to overstep any boundaries no matter how much Kyle decided to share with her. 

"Well let me stop being a Debbie Downer and let's have some damn fun. I'm sure Ali is coming tonight, so let's go back to that dance floor." Kyle said as he finished off his soda and grabbed Ashlyn by the arm. 

They joined the rest of the teams out on the dance floor along with some other club goers. Ashlyn continued to dance with Kyle and later formed a small circle around Crystal and Syd who seemed to be well over tipsy and dancing wildly. More drinks went around the teams but Ashlyn cut herself off at two, she kept checking the doorway to see if Ali would walk through at any second. She was about to forget about it until Whitney cane info the dance floor with her phone in hand. 

"Hey, your phone's been going off. I don't know what for but here." Whitney yelled over the club music. 

One look at her notifications and Ashlyn grabbed her phone and pushed her way outside as she listened to the voice-mail left on her phone. Her heart sank at the fear and panic she could hear in Ali's voice practically begging her to come and help. Ashlyn ran to her Jeep and started it up before her seat belt was even on. She sped out of the parking lot and down to Ali's home. 

Ashlyn dialed Ali's number while taking all of the short cuts she could think of to Ali's place. She cursed when Ali didn't pick up and stepped on the gas even more so she could get there quicker. She tried calling once more and gave a sigh of relief that Ali picked up. 

"Hello? Ash, please tell me you're coming." Ali whispered desperately on the line. 

Ashlyn pulled up to the home and jumped out out of her car. "Ali I'm here, I'm outside your place. What do I do?" Ashlyn blurted out, she wanted to figure out how to help quickly before something bad happened. 

"Come around to the right side of the house. Pass the first window and stop at the second one, knock on it when you're there. Please hurry Ash." Ali quickly informed, her voice was so low that Ashlyn could barely understand her. She heard a loud breaking noise and Ali's scream before the phone disconnected.

"Matt please stop! Please, I'm sorry!" Ali cried and begged as her husband tried to grab at her through the hole in the door that he punched with his now bloodied hand. 

"No because you're going to be a fucking dumb bitch and you're going to cheat on me again like the fucking whore you are." Matthew hissed into the door. "I'm gonna teach you why you shouldn't cheat on me."

Ashlyn could hear Matthew's angry tone from where she was and was already running towards the window. She stopped at the window and knocked gently but loudly enough for Ali to hear. She saw Ali's eyes dart to the window before she moved to open the window and the window screen get pushed out. Ali's head stuck out and held her duffel bag out for Ashlyn to take. Once Ashlyn got the duffel bag over her shoulder, she heard harsh banging on the bathroom door and Matthew yelling which made Ali jump.

"Alex! Alex! Open this damn door!" Matthew yelled as his bloodied hand tried to blindly unlock the bathroom door. 

"C'mon Ali hurry, I'll catch you, jump out." Ashlyn said. Thank goodness the house was only one story tall, so jumping out would be easy. However, the flower bushes that lined the sides of the house weren't exactly plush to land in, especially with the thorns they contained. 

Ali nodded and pushed her body out from the window. Ashlyn caught her but they landed up in a heap on the ground. Ashlyn could feel a burst of pain in her side but ignored it. She helped Ali up and jogged out to her Jeep, she helped Ali inside before hopping in and speeding off. 

"Do you want me to call Kyle or-"

Ali shook her head, she stared down at her bare feet with her bottom lip between her teeth. She wiped at her eyes roughly and turned to Ashlyn with eyes filled with complete and utter sadness. "Can I just stay with you if it's okay?" She asked in a voice that sounded so childlike. 

"Yea of course." Ashlyn said without even having to think. 

The rest of the car ride was completely silent. Ashlyn led Ali to the front and helped her inside. She showed her where a few things were before replying to a few messages about how she wasn't going to be back at the club. She pocketed her phone and found Ali curled up on the couch just staring at her phone that seemed to never stop vibrating with text messages from her husband. 

Ashlyn sat down next to her and covered her hand with her own. She softly rubbed her thumb over her open palm and turned to Ali whose gaze wouldn't leave her phone. "Did he hurt you Ali, please tell me?"

Ali's eyes closed at the sound of Ashlyn's voice, her body racked with sobs and she turned over to envelope Ashlyn in a tight hug as she sobbed into her neck. Ashlyn was quick to hold the brunette's body as close to her own as she could. She kissed the side of her head multiple times while whispering comforting words in hopes to quell her cries. Ali didn't stop for a while but Ashlyn didn't care, if there was any way to help her them she was going to do it. 

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Ashlyn whispered into Ali's hair. 

Ali shifted around a bit until she was practically seated in Ashlyn's lap and could comfortably hold onto the pitcher. "He was so angry, I've never seem him that angry. He tried to lunge at me so I locked myself in the bathroom. I didn't know what else to do, he just kept yelling, banging on the door and throwing things at it. He punched a hole through the bathroom door and kept trying to grab me. I was begging, hoping you'd come before he'd got the door open."

Ali released a harsh breath and gripped Ashlyn's shirt tighter. She couldn't imagine what would have happened to her if Matthew got in the bathroom. The sheer anger that he exhibited was enough to tell her that it would've been horrible. Horrible to the point that Ali couldn't forgive herself for staying anymore than she already did. 

"I can't do it. I can't do it anymore. I can't help him, and he can never get better. I don't know why I thought I could change him. Why I thought I could make a difference for him, I tried so hard but I can't take his anger, his drinking problems, his controlling nature and his jealousy. I can't take being afraid of someone that I'm supposed to love. I just can't do it anymore." Ali cried out. 

Ashlyn's arms tightened even more on the brunette. She wanted nothing more than to draw a bath for Ali and let her sleep before leaving to kick Matthew's ass. If Matthew thought he could terrorize Ali because she wanted to help him, then Ashlyn was going to set him straight. She was going to make damn sure that Matthew understood, and nothing less than that. 

"I want you to relax, you're safe here. So if you want I could run a bath for you, if that's okay." Ashlyn offered and when Ali nodded, she took her hands and led her into the large bathroom. She filled up the tub with hot water and dumped in bath soaps. Once the bathtub was filled, she grabbed towels and some long pants and an old t shirt from her dresser, they might be a little big on Ali but she just wanted her to be comfortable. 

Ali gave her another hug before Ashlyn left the bathroom. Ashlyn called Kyle, she needed to tell him something since he's Ali's brother, she wouldn't go into depth but she did believe that he deserved to know something. She'd liked the same in return if someone else was in her position. 

"Hey what's up." Kyle said loudly into the phone, there was music still blaring on his side so Ashlyn could tell he was still at the club. "You left pretty quickly and your friend Whitney was kind of worried."

"Yea, uh Ali called so I needed to go get her." Ashlyn informed as she rubbed her hand over her eyes. She was thoroughly exhausted from all the worrying she did tonight. 

Kyle could hear the difference in her voice and was instantly in worry mode. "Hey is my sis okay? She hasn't called me since yesterday, didn't show up to the club and now she asked you to pick her up? Did something happen?"

"Yea uh, Matthew scared the hell out of her tonight, she needed me to get her. And dude she was scared, like completely terrified. I've never seen her like that. The way he was trying to get her, I just...I don't know what to say."

"I knew it, I just knew he would try something like this. They're all the same, they lie, manipulate, they're fucking abusive mentally or physically. I told her to leave that piece of shit so many fucking times but she just didn't listen to me." Kyle replied sadly into the phone. He sniffled a bit as he got choked up before clearing his throat. 

"Do you mind me asking why she stayed?"

"It's uh...It's better if we all talk about this in person, Ali really needs to hear it. But uh, Ashlyn, please make sure she's okay. She's all I have." 

"I will, don't worry. See you tomorrow." Ashlyn spoke before hanging up, she saw Ali walk into the living room a bit awkwardly in the rather over sized clothing. 

"I'm sorry about tonight, I shouldn't drag you into things like this but I just needed someone tonight." Ali apologized. 

Ashlyn crossed the space between them and placed her hands on Ali's arms. "This is not your fault, so there is nothing to apologize for. I told you that you could call me for anything you needed and I'd be there. I'm here for you Ali, I am. I want to keep you safe and happy, and you can rest assured that I won't stray from that."

Ali just nodded and laid her head on the familiar spot on Ashlyn chest and breathed softly. "I don't know how to thank you Ashlyn. I really don't."

Ashlyn brought a hand up to thread her fingers through Ali's chocolate brown hair. She gently lifted Ali's head up and leaned down so that there was only a fraction of air between their lips. She could feel and hear Ali's breath hitch as her eyes searched her deep brown ones. 

"Tell me no and I won't even try, but if you say yes, then Ali I'll love you with everything I have." Ashlyn spoke as she looked the brunette in the eyes. Ashlyn wanted so deeply to love Ali, to give her healthy, comforting and unconditional love that she knew Ali deserved. 

Ali never replied with words but did lean up on the tips of her toes and joined their lips in a well awaited kiss that turned deep very quickly. Ali nipped at Ashlyn's bottom lip and pushed her tounge into Ashlyn's mouth the moment she felt her lips part. Her fingers gripped onto Ashlyn's shirt and moaned lightly into the the blonde's mouth. She absolutely loved the difference and change that Ashlyn's lips were. They were nothing like her husband's, but had a certain amount of softness, care and unconditional love housed within them, and Ali loved it. She welcomed it. Her heart would always welcome it. 

Ashlyn lifted Ali up by the thighs and chucked when Ali let out a sound of protest when their lips broke for a second. Ashlyn quickly reconnected them before Ali could pout, she laid them on the bed and pulled back enough to look at her. 

"I just want to give you a heads up that Kyle's coming in the morning. I told him about what happened." Ashlyn stated while getting off the bed to pull off her clubbing clothing. 

"That's fine, I bet he's going to yell at me for being stupid or say I told you so." Ali replied sadly and rolled over to watch the pitcher. She always felt safe with Ashlyn and despite the situation that she just escaped from at home, nothing could put a damper on the immediate happiness and amount of safety that she felt with the pitcher. 

"He won't say that, he was worried and wanted to make sure you're okay." Ashlyn said as she caught Ali staring and jumped into bed in her boxer briefs and sports bra. She threaded her fingers back into Ali's hair and kissed her softly. "I'll be here when he comes, I'm not leaving you alone."

"And I'm glad for it, really." Ali smiled and scooted closer to her. "I can't thank you enough for coming to help me."

"And you don't have to keep saying thank you. I'll always help you, I told you that."

"I love that about you. I have so much feelings for you that I tried to push down after we left Boston, and I should've known better when I tried to figure things out with-"

Ashlyn quickly pulled Ali into her arms, kissing the crown of her head before tuckling Ali's head under her chin. "Don't worry about that, let's just go to sleep and deal with what comes in the morning." 

"I can do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some bad news, I have to start slowing down on how many chapters I update in a day. You guys are getting superclse to how many I've already written sooo I'm gonna slow it down a bit. :D you all are lovely


	19. No More Wedding Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update, I've been driving around all day and I'm finally back home. This contains more explanations. That being said, I think you all will enjoy this chapter.

Ali woke up in a warm but empty bed. She remembered falling asleep in Ashlyn's arms but she didn't exactly know where she went now, and although it was a bit irrational Ali couldn't help but imagine her husband bursting through the door to take her back to their home. Even though she was fine here in Ashlyn's home, the ring on her finger still felt like a boulder on her mind. She didn't know what to do next. She hated the way how Matthew was treating her, especially now since he wasn't even drunk, and although she'd never use being drunk as an excuse but having a clear mind and still doing those horrible actions was even worse. 

Ali's phone vibrated and her husband's face appeared on the screen, she saw nearly 30 messages and over 20 missed calls from him. They all ranged from extremely furious, angry, solemn, demanding, apologetic, and finally begging. Ali didn't want to answer him, he didn't deserve her speaking to him and she sure as hell wasn't going to listen to him apologize right now. She was happy right now, she was at peace in the comfort of Ashlyn's bed and home. She wasn't afraid to censor her words or actions lest her husband get angry. Ashlyn was peace and happiness for her, and it was easy to see why. 

But the thought of divorce was weighing heavily on her mind, and she found herself drifting back to her mindset in Boston, "Be happy now, and sad later". Although it wasn't a terrible thought to have, Ali didn't want to expect sadness anymore, she didn't want to expect arguments, she didn't want to guess which husband she'd come home to. She wanted to be happy when she woke up, sure of who she was with and how they'd behave. And Ashlyn was that. 

Ali pulled herself from the bed and immediately smiled at the warming scent that housed Ashlyn's clothes. She padded into the kitchen, leaned on the counter watching Ashlyn pull something that smelled delicious the oven. She waited until Ashlyn placed the hot dish on the counter before she made her presence known. 

"Thank you for last night." Ali smiled.

"No problem, and remember you shouldn't thank me for that, I'd do it for you no matter what." Ashlyn smiled back and wrapped her arms around Ali. "Now what you should have said was 'Hmm that smells great, good morning Green Giant'."

Ali chuckled and held Ashlyn's side gently. "Hmm that smells great, thank you." She leaned up and boldly captured her lips in a gentle kiss. "Good morning Ashlyn."

"Ooo I like that. Good morning to you too Short Stack." Ashlyn whispered on her lips before deepening their kiss. She felt Ali grip her shirt and lean more heavily onto her. She slid her hands down Ali's back and near her ass as she felt Ali's tounge asking for entrance. She quickly let her in before they both battled for dominance in the kiss, ultimately with Ashlyn winning out. Ashlyn moaned at the Ali's fingers making their way under her shirt and dragging down her stomach. Ashlyn was ready to lift Ali up on the counter but the doorbell cut them short. 

"C'mon open the door, it's freezing out here!" Kyle whined from the outside.

"I like your brother but right now I hate him." Ashlyn groaned before pulling away to let him inside. 

"Woo, it's freaking snowing out there. We'll probably be snowed in by Thanksgiving. And my feet, god are my toes frozen." Kyle complained as Ashlyn took his coat to hang. He went over and practically lifted his sister off the ground and squeezed her tight in a hug. "Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're okay. Ashlyn gave me a heads up but I thought she was downplaying everything and you were really hurt. My mind, girl, it was running a mile a minute, I could barely sleep-"

"I'm okay Kyle." Ali said slowly while holding his face in her hands. "Don't worry-"

"No I have to worry! Because everytime you go back to him I wonder how much worse will it be this time or the next time. It's not a healthy relationship in a shape or form. It is by far the worst relationship I've ever seen, you as well and you know it." Kyle insisted. 

Ashlyn quickly interjected between the two, she wanted this morning to go smoothly, not completely laden with overflowing emotions. "Look, I made quiche and french toast. We don't have practice so we can talk all day but let's keep calm when doing so."

The siblings nodded and Ashlyn led them to the kitchen so she could give them some food. Once they were settled at the table with their breakfast, Ashlyn started up the conversation. 

"What's the first step pertaining to you and Matthew? Are you divorcing him or staying with him?" 

It burned Ashlyn to have to even put out the option of going back to her abusive husband, but she knew nothing was out of the realm of possibility with human beings. They were complex beings, and she didn't want to get her hopes up thinking that Ali would leave him despite everything that has happened between them both and her husband. 

"I really don't want to go back." Ali answered. 

Kyle tapped his plate with his fork in annoyance. "Alex, I love you, you know that more than anyone. But I swear if you go back to him, I don't think I could forgive you. I really couldn't."

Ashlyn watched as a clear flash of pain washed over Ali's face before she looked down at her food. Ashlyn wanted to reach over and find any way to comfort the woman next to her. But she refrained herself from doing so, she needed Ali to sort out her feelings and thoughts by herself. 

"I'm serious. I watched mom go through the exact same thing with our drunkard of a father and he charmed his way back into mom's heart and mind time after time, and caused havoc for all of us. We watched him hurt her, and harm himself with his horrible addiction. Only to weasel his way back in with apologies and flowers before doing it again. I don't want to get a phone call to get you from the hospital, I don't want to have to keep picking you up and putting you back together every time Matthew gets in angry, drunk or jealous stupor. Don't do this me Alex, and don't do it to yourself and everyone who cares about you." Kyle said with emotion well in his voice, he never wanted anything bad to befall his sister. If he could take any harm that was coming his sister's way then he would so in a heartbeat but if she could get away from it then even better. 

Ali's head hung in shame, everything Kyle said was correct. The worst part was the fact that she knew it and still countless times ignored it in hopes of things getting better. "I know, Kyle. I just thought that I could help him through this, I thought he would change and go back to the man he was. But god, it was like living a double life. I would be happy when I'm with the team but miserable when I came home. I kept thinking that I could help him but..."

"And I get that more than anyone. Mom thought the same thing with dad, hoping that he'd get better and be a good father and husband, but she was wrong and suffered for it, our entire family did. And I know when you were younger you blamed mom for why dad left because of the lies he told you but god Alex she tried with that man. She tried so hard and got nothing good in return and I get that you want to help Matthew because you couldn't do anything for dad. I loved dad just as much as you did but the things he did Alex, was enough to not want him there anymore. At some point we just have to realize when a battle is done, and we can't change the outcome." Kyle reached over and took her hands in his own. "I love you Alex, and I will be by your side but I need you to walk with me. Take control of what you can and leave that situation. Leave it before it's too late and I can't help you anymore. Please."

Ashlyn leaned over and wrapped her arm around Ali's waist. "We're both here for you, I want you to be happy with whoever it is that you're with. I don't want to repeat what happened last night Ali. You were so scared last night and I thought something he hurt you. Ali if he got into that bathroom before I got to you, I don't know what he would've done to you. And when I think about, I just..."

Ali quickly removed her hands from beneath her brother's and took Ashlyn's within her own. She laid one hand on her cheek, coaxing her to look up at her. "Ash, I know what makes me happy. I-I'm not...I can't go back to Matthew, both you and Kyle are right. I've known for a while that things weren't going to get better. I just wanted to believe I could help him because I couldn't help my dad. But I shouldn't have ignored so many warning signs of the fact that things were getting worse. I shouldn't have kept myself in such a toxic relationship, while leaving Ashlyn bare because she wanted to help me. I need to be selfish for myself and start taking care of myself."

Ali looked down to her her left hand and used her other hand to wiggle the wedding ring from her finger. She placed it on the table with the release of a heavy and shaky breath she didn't even notice she was holding. This was one of the hardest decisions that she ever made. She couldn't lie and say that this decision came about because both her brother and Ashlyn wanted her too. Ali herself wanted to be freed of her husband's wrath, but there was a part of her that still loved Matthew, she couldn't deny it. But the love she got in return from the man that was supposed to care for her was toxic, it'd been toxic since the start. 

Kyle stood from his seat and pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you so much, you know that right? I only want the best for you." Kyle mumbled into her hair, his voice slightly breaking throughout. "This is the first step to getting back your life and your happiness."

"I know Ky, and I love you too." Ali replied into his chest.

Ashlyn chuckled and drummed her fingers lightly over Ali's lower back. "I get no lovin in this?" She said in a joking tone, but Ali didn't care. Ali turned around to her and tilted her head up to kiss her firmly on the lips, she didn't care that she hadn't really thought about what everything that had just transpired last night meant, but she knew what Ashlyn meant to her and she wasn't going to hold back any longer. She couldn't deny the love that she developed for Ashlyn in such a short time. 

The two were rather caught up in each other that they didn't even see or hear a babbling Kyle with his jaw on the ground. 

"What the hell, Ali you and...Holy crap!" Kyle rambled and playfully pinched his sister's back to get her to pay attention to him. "You didn't tell me that this..." Kyle pointed to them. "Was happening, and here I was always bugging her about it."

Ali broke away from the pitcher with a soft laugh on her lips before smacking her brother's arms. "Don't be nosy. Ashlyn and I are going to try this out, or something like that, it's a bit confusing to label it. But I know I want to be with her, she's always been there for me and I have feelings for her. She makes me happy." She finished with an absolutely adorable smile and lip bite as she looked down at Ashlyn. 

Ashlyn stood so she could easily reach Ali's lips for a quick peck while her hands rest on her hips. "You make me even happier."

Kyle waved his hands and head in confusion. "Hold on, back it up. Did you two just realize this or..."

"No, it was back while we were in Boston, I kissed her, a lot of kissing actually. We told each other that we had feelings for one another but I didn't have the courage to end my relationship with Matthew, so I tabled what happened." Ali explained. 

Kyle sat back down on the seat with his arms crossed. He seemed to be in deep thought but the women couldn't exactly tell what might be on his mind. "So you two haven't...you know." He made some obscene but rather funny hand gesture to explain sex. He came to the conclusion since his sister was clearly wearing Ashlyn's clothing. "You know I wouldn't care if you cheated on that sack of shit."

"Kyle!" Ali chastised while her face turned bright red. "We...uh we-"

"Were taking it one step at a time, whatever is comfortable for the both of us, mainly for Ali, is how I'd would prefer it." Ashlyn spoke up, and she truly meant it, she wasn't going to rush Ali into anything. Whenever she is ready for something then they'd proceed. 

Ashlyn took Ali's hands and kissed her palms. 

Kyle smiled at the scene before him, he was immensely glad that goes sister was taking the right steps in giving herself a better life. He couldn't help but always worry when she was with Matthew. He always thought of the worst when he didn't hear from her after a while, he would try and contact her even if it meant going over to her home. But now, now he didn't have to play the guardian angel part anymore. Now he could only be happy for her now that she's found someone to trust. 

Kyle clasped his hands together and clicked his tounge. "Well I should go. Thank you for the breakfast Ashlyn, I can't say that I've ever dined with a sport's superstar before but..." He leaned down and patted Ashlyn's back. "If you hurt her, I'll come after you, sports player or not. I'll give you worse shiners than what you had at the World Series final."

Ali slapped her brother's back with a chastising look while Ashlyn nodded and wrapped her arms around Ali with a kiss to her cheek. 

"I'd never hurt this lady right here." Ashlyn smiled and laid her chin on Ali's shoulder while pulling them down into a seated position so Ali was in her lap. 

"Good to know, but actions speak louder than words. Anyways, I'm gonna go before you two break your 'I haven't had sex yet' statement." Kyle stated and grabbed his phone. "Thank you for breakfast, you are one hell of a cook. And I'll see you later baby sis."

Both Ali and Ashlyn waved goodbye as he left, once he was gone, Ali turned in Ashlyn's arms so that she was facing her. 

"I kind of want to break that statement Kyle was talking about." Ali said innocently while biting her lip in a way that turned Ashlyn on. "I know it's really sudden but I don't want to wait."

Ashlyn ran her hands up the back of Ali's shirt. "Hmm only if you're completely sure. We don't have to rush anything." Ashlyn reassured, she wanted Ali to know that everything could go at her pace, no need for rushing into anything. 

Ali nodded. "I'm sure. I can't tell you how hard its been to keep myself from initiating it. You make me comfortable, happy, safe and to be honest you make me horny as hell whenever we make out. I'm ready for it, especially with you. I'm comfortable in taking that step right now with you."

"Okay. But just a heads up, you make me pretty hot and bothered as well." Ashlyn chuckled before using her hand to coax Ali's head down and into their kiss. It got intense very quickly and soon Ali was trying to remove Ashlyn's shirt. Ashlyn lifted Ali up into her arms, making sure Ali's legs were around her waist before moving matters to her bedroom. She laid her down and kissed down her neck before pulling away with a girn. 

Ashlyn ran out of the room and came back in, "I felt like an idiot because I forgot to lock my front door after Kyle left."

"Only you would Green Giant." Ali chuckled as she leaned up on her elbows and watched as the pitcher climbed in-between her thighs and kissed her deeply. 

Ashlyn pulled away to pull the oversized shirt over Ali's head, she leaned back down to kiss her passionately once more as she ran her hands down her sides and lower back. She wanted to remember every part of Ali, and she was going to make sure she did. Her eyes were intranced with the milkly swells of skin of Ali's breasts that peeked over the tops of the violet bra. 

Ashlyn let go of an airy sounding breath as her eyes moved over the brunette's chest. "Ali, you're beautiful, so beautiful."

Ali lightly pushed Ashlyn back before taking her shirt off as well. The sight of the pitcher's body was always a great one, the ink of color tattoos and uncolored tattoos, the well sculpted body from years of baseball definitely did her body well. "You are as well, even more so because of who you are." Ali said softly while tracing her hands over the pitcher's body. The thing that drew her in the most was the warmth that emanated from Ashlyn's skin and the comforting smell that is Ashlyn that always made her feel unbalanced in the best of ways. 

Ali knew that now she'd have all the time in the world to explore and memorize Ashlyn's body. As of right now, she just wanted to feel her, she wanted to come apart in her arms and bring Ashlyn to her most vulnerable places as well. She wanted to love her, she wanted to make love to her, but the surges of impatience within herself was tempting her to rush things in a faster direction. 

"I want you so badly right now." Ali said with a husky voice. "I thought I would want to take things slow with you and savor it, but god I don't think I can wait any longer."

Ali reached behind her back and unclasped the bra she wore, revealing her breasts and black script tattoo on contrast to soft hued skin. She could feel the extra wetness that pooled in her panties as Ashlyn watched her remove her bra. She leaned in closer to pitcher and connected their lips while pushing her chest into Ashlyn's bra clad one, the material instantly making Ali's nipples harden and causing Ashlyn to breath heavily when Ali's nipples ran across her skin. She felt Ashlyn's always warm hands skim up from her stomach to covering her breasts and pushing her tounge into her mouth. 

Ashlyn laid Ali down and covered her body with her own. She took her time and kissed down from her ear, along her jawline and down her neck to her chest before taking the hardened, pink nipples into her mouth. The breathy moan that left Ali's lips spurred her gently bite down and rub her tounge over the nipple. She repeated the same actions to the other breast before kissing down Ali's toned stomach and licking over her bellybutton. Her fingers hooked into both the oversized shorts and the semi-lace and matching violet panties. She pulled both clothing pieces down her toned legs before kissing the smooth mound of Ali's core. 

"Ash." Ali glided her fingers over the strong shoulders of the pitcher, beckoning her to come back up. She sat up and slipped her hands under the pitcher's sports bra and lifted it off her body and traced her breasts with her fingertips, eliciting heavy breaths from the woman beside her. "Take off your pants." She all but demanded in contrast to the soft tone she spoke in. 

Ashlyn grinned at the beautiful woman in front of her before shucking off both her shorts and and boxer shorts before climbing back on top of Ali. She smiled into Ali's lips as they kissed when Ali palmed her cheeks to deepen it. Ashlyn reluctantly pulled away with a look. 

"Have you ever...you know with a woman before?" Ashlyn asked with concern that made Ali's heart swell. 

"Yes, in college before I met Matthew, I had a girlfriend and had sex with her." Ali leaned forward and pecked her lips twice before laying on her back. "I'm glad that my protector, aka the Green Giant cares about my well being, but to honest I just want you in me right now."

"Great minds think alike." Ashlyn raised an eyebrow before following what the brunette wanted. She ran her tounge over her pert nipples once more before leaving open mouthed, wet kisses down Ali's body, stopping to swirl her tounge in Ali's bellybutton, living the sounds leaving the brunette. She also loved the feeling of Ali running her fingers through her hair as she kissed the inside of thigh down to her very wet folds. She lifted her eyes up to meet Ali's amber ones as she used her thumbs to spread her folds before licking a broad strip from her entrance and up to her engorged clit and sucking hard, the deep moan that escaped Ali's lips prompted her to slowly push in a finger and moved her tounge over her clit as Ali's back arched. 

"A-ahh fuck." Ali breathed and dropped her head down to the pillow beneath her. 

Ashlyn kept up her slow movements as Ali moaned and writhed underneath her. She moved back up Ali's body before catching her lips in another kiss.

Ali arched her hips up too much and felt Ashlyn grip her hips to keep her down. "Good god, Ashlyn more please. I need so much more."

Ashlyn complied quickly and enthusiastically, and slowly entered her with a second finger, curling her fingertips with each thrust. She felt Ali's walls tighten over her fingers as she heard Ali's breath hitch as her fingers hit that certain spot over and over. 

"Oh god, Ash I'm close, I'm so fucking close, don't stop please don't stop." Ali chanted as her fingers hooked into Ashlyn's muscled shoulders and her hips bucked in order to meet each thrust. 

"Cum on my fingers baby." Ashlyn spoke hotly over Ali's clit before taking the swollen nub into her mouth again and humming. She increased the pace of her thrusts while sucking on her clit and flicking it with her tounge. 

"I'm cuming, I'm cuming! Oh god, ASHLYN!" Ali moaned loudly as her back arched and she let out an almost inaudible scream as she came into Ashlyn's mouth and on her fingers. She was still breathing hard when she pulled Ashlyn up to give her a very deep kiss before chuckling into the pitcher's lips. Her breasts touching Ashlyn's with each intake of air which sent goosebumps over her skin, only to be sated by the warmth of the body above her. 

"What's so funny, Short Stack?" Ashlyn asked while pecking her lips. 

"Hmm, just the fact that this was amazing and I haven't felt this way in so so long." Ali smiled as she admitted it. "The fact that I'm able to feel like this in response you is the best feeling on the planet right now. My body and mind literally have been starved of feeling like this for so long."

Ashlyn brushed back some hair from her sweaty forehead and kissed her again. "I'm glad you feel that way, this means a whole lot to me as well. It makes me immensely happy that I could do that for you."

Ali stared into her hazel-green eyes and smiled at the gentleness housed within them. Her hands moved along her muscular biceps, gripping lightly before rolling them over so that she was now on top of the pitcher. 

"I want to make you fall apart in my arms." Ali replied while looking into Ashlyn's hazel eyes.

"Bring it on, Short Stack." Ashlyn challenged before pulling her down for a very deep and passionate kiss that nearly left Ali breathless. Ali grinned into her lips before they both engaged into another round of slow, passionate love making. Once they each mapped out each others bodies more than once and enough to how imprinted in their minds, they began more lust driven sex. By the end of it all, it was near dinner time and both women were completely breathless and sweating. 

"Holy crap." Ali said between breaths.

Ashlyn chuckled and ran her fingers through Ali's hair and kissed the crown of her head. "Holy crap is right, but um I was wondering something."

"Mmm what's that?" Ali traced her fingers along Ashlyn's side tattoo. Closing her eyes at the soothing vibrations of Ashlyn's voice through her chest as her head laid there. 

"What does this mean for us? Like where does this leave us?" 

"I'd like to think that after all of this, we'd label ourselves as exclusive and official. Girlfriend and girlfriend, but I don't want to assume since I'm still technically married." Ali stated. 

"You don't want to assume? Girl, it's a damn good safe bet to assume. I'd love that, and to be honest I think I love you. I just...I've never felt this way for anyone to tell the truth and I guess that might be a little be depressing for my personal life but I'm happy if I'm going to feel this way that it's with you."

"I actually think that's amazing." Ali replied and snuggled into her chest. "I thought I had feelings like that for Matthew but it was a well hidden sham. When I met you, I swear everything was instant. It wasn't lust, but intense and inescapable feelings for you. I'm more than glad that I'm here with you right now and I have no intention of leaving."

Ashlyn's arms wrapped solidly around the smaller woman beside her. She pulled Ali up her body so that they were face to face, leaned up and kissed the brunette while running her fingertips along her toned body. Ali chuckled on her lips before straddling Ashlyn's waist. Ali looked down at her with a sultry grin that caused Ashlyn to grip her thighs and lean up to try and start another deep kiss but she avoided it. 

"We need to eat. As much as I love staying in this bed with you and your abnormal body heat, I'm still your PT so I have to make sure you stay healthy and fit." Ali informed a sliver away from her lips before swing her leg over the pitcher and getting off the bed. 

"Aliiiii, I can survive on a liquid diet, especially on you." Ashlyn joked as she ran to catch Ali in the kitchen. The sight of a naked Ali leaning into her fridge brought a huge smile to her face, and she realized she couldn't have been more happy and content in this moment. 

"What're you staring at?" Ali smiled while pointing the spatula at Ashlyn.

"Just you." Ashlyn answered truthfully. 

"Well..." Ali stepped closer to her and wrapped her arms around Ashlyn's leaner frame, careful not to graze her with the oil covered spatula. "Aren't you just adorable. Now what do you want for breakfast when we should be eating dinner?"

"Whatever you make is absolutely fine with me." Ashlyn admitted. She continued watching Ali's movements in the kitchen. "Hey Al."

"What's up?" Ali answered while focused on folding the sausage, peppers and cheese omelette in the pan. 

"Are you okay? I just want to make sure that I didn't force you to do anything that you didn't want because I really do love you and forcing you is the last thing I would ever try to do." Ashlyn blurted out.

Ali slid the rather large omelette on the glass plate and turned off the stove. "I can assure you that everything we did in your room and in your bed was because I wanted to. Everything felt right and amazing, if it was my first time I probably would've married you right then and there." They both shared a little chuckle before Ali continued. "But in all seriousness, I do not regret being here, making love to you and being here when we finished. You're an amazing woman Ashlyn Harris and I love that."

Ashlyn let out one of her biggest and brightest grins to date and scooped Ali up into her arms and kissed her soundly. "I love you so much."

"Mmm as do I, now let's eat before it gets cold." Ali smiled down at her pitcher.


	20. Media Day Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here yall go :)
> 
> I truly love seeing all you guys comments :D

Ali laid a bowl of blueberry oatmeal and jellied pieces of toast in front of Ashlyn with a kiss. She fixed herself a plate before sitting across from the pitcher.

"So what are we going to do about your belongings, should we go and get them or..." Ashlyn inquired while eating a spoonful of oatmeal. 

"Of course we have to get them, I would just like to avoid Matthew at all costs if possible. I can't imagine what he's like right now." Ali stated. She thought about the emotional pain he was going through and for some reason she felt a pang of guilt for being the one responsible for his pain. Her brain couldn't shut off that quality that cared for his well being even though Matthew seemed not to care for her own. 

"Hey," Ashlyn lightly touched her arm. "Don't worry about him, that's not your job to. Think about things getting better for you and how else you want to go about things."

Ali nodded. "Maybe we can start off by telling the team? Although part of me thinks that we should wait until I'm at least separated or divorced from Matthew."

Ashlyn hummed in agreement, she didn't know exactly how the players would take this, especially since Ali was still legally married. Before falling asleep, Ashlyn did make sure to clarify what their next steps were, in regards to Matthew. She knew that Ali wanted a divorce and they both knew it was going to be a difficult process, especially if Matthew decided not to cooperate. Things could also turn messy if the media found out that they were a couple while Ali's still married. So many things were and weren't in their favor when it came down to the roots of things. But they were in it together and were going to make sure that they supported each other well when the time came. 

They finished up their breakfast before showering and getting ready for practice. They had another game against the Trojans at home before they fly to San Francisco for the last game of the series with them. Because of the next two games, Andy wanted everyone at their prime. These were games that they needed to win now before they faced other tough teams. 

They pulled up to the stadium before going their separate ways, Ali to her office and Ashlyn to the noisy locker room. 

"Dude where did you go last night?" Abby asked as she pulled on her cleats. 

"I had a few things I needed to do. It couldn't wait." Ashlyn answered and taped up her wrists. She and Ali still needed to talk about what they were going to do in their relationship. Sure they figured out what to do about Matthew, which was getting a divorce but there was still so much to talk about and decide on. 

Pinoe snorted so hard it made Syd giggle. "What was so important that you had to skip out on the one day Andy lets us drink. That must've been one fine piece of ass."

Syd slapped her head with enough force that caused a few whistles from others. She turned to Ashlyn and shook her head. "Don't worry about Grumpy the goblin here. If you needed to go then it's fine. Pinoe just wanted someone to be her wingman since none of the Trojans wanted to bite her bait."

"Aww Pinoe..." Ashlyn pulled Pinoe into her arms and lifted her up from the bench only to shake the bleached blonde. "So sorry bud, but I wouldn't have helped you regardless." Ashlyn smiled with a pat to her side before grabbing her mitt and cap. "See ya on the pitch ladies."

Ashlyn jogged out of the locker room towards Ali's office. She couldn't deny the fact that she craved and desired Ali's touch and though they may be at work, Ashlyn needed her fix if she was to focus for practice. She was halfway there when Whitney called out for her. 

"Hey Ash, wait up!" Whitney came to a stop next to her. "What's going on? After our win you high tailed it out of the club and I suspect that since Ali never showed up, it had something to do with her."

Ashlyn sighed and scratched the back of her neck. "It has to do with Ali but I don't think she wants me to disclose about the situation...at least not at the moment."

"Is she okay? Is she hurt or something? Can't you give me something, anything?" Whitney badgered out of pure concern.

"She's okay Whit, she's staying with me right now. Things are just hard at the moment but we're working through this. I can assure you that Ali is fine. Everything's okay."

Whitney wanted to know more, she could tell that Ashlyn was clearly avoiding essential details to the entire story, but she wasn't going to push too much especially if Ali wasn't ready to talk about to them. "Okay, that's okay. Just keep me updated Ash, really, I'd like to help if possible. I'm here for the both of you." Whitney gave her best friend a tight hug before pulling away. "Don't be late out there, after practice it's media. Andy'll chew you out if you miss anything."

"I'll be there Whit, and thank you. Best bestie ever."

"Don't I know it." Whitney chuckled as she left in the direction of the dugouts. 

Ashlyn went into Ali's office and saw her talking on the phone with whom she assumed was Kyle, due to the energetic voice on the other line. She rapped her knuckles on the door and grinned when Ali met her with a bright smile. Ashlyn closed the door behind her and discretely flipped the lock before she leaned over Ali's desk to give her a sound kiss. 

"I'll call you back Kyle." Ali spoke into the phone before hanging up and giving the pitcher a much deeper kiss. "Hey you, aren't you supposed to be out on the field by now?"

Ashlyn went around the desk so she now stood in front of Ali. She gave a small nod before pulling Ali up from the desk chair and kissing her with intense amounts of passion. Ali definitely responded eagerly to her actions and let out a few moans as their clothed bodies practically melded together. 

 

"Mmm Ash what's going on?" Ali asked while her fingers rubbed Ashlyn's sides. 

"Nothing, I just missed you, that's all." Ashlyn responded and sat Ali on the desk before laying her on her back and covering her neck with wet kisses. She ground her hips into Ali's Nike tights covered center and moved harder when Ali's breath hitched in pleasure. 

Ali lifted her hips up just enough to pull the band of the tights over her ass and to the middle of her thighs. "Ash, I need you so badly. I need you to fuck me." She panted in complete need and want. Having sex in her office was bad idea even with the door locked, especially when Ashlyn was missing some of practice. But goodness gracious did Ali need Ashlyn inside of her, stroking her to the highest levels of pleasure before coming back down to normalcy in Ashlyn's arms. This moment was immensely exhilarating to Ali. 

"Oh baby you're already so wet for me." Ashlyn smirked as she breathed over Ali's core and pulled the tights down to her ankles. She ran a single finger through her folds and grinned when her finger came away glistening. She placed the finger in her mouth, sucking at the sweet taste of Ali before speaking up. 

"I missed how you feel around my fingers Short Stack but I'll give you a choice. Do you want me to make you cum with my fingers or my mouth?"

"Your fingers Ash." Ali loved the feeling of Ashlyn's mouth on her but she knew she wouldn't be able to contain her moans if she was pushed into an orgasm. She needed Ashlyn's mouth on her own in order to drown her out.

Ashlyn knew exactly why Ali picked what she did, she just wanted to see if she actually would've admitted it. She leaned over the brunette's body and pulled her into a deep kiss, moaning when she felt Ali bite her bottom lip as she pushed two long fingers inside her very ready entrance. She moved her fingers at a pace that nearly reduced Ali to moans and curse words. 

"You feel so good around my fingers Al." Ashlyn moaned on her neck as she kept up her pace within Ali's warm core. 

Ali's fingers slipped under Ashlyn's shirt and her fingernails found purchase in Ashlyn's back creating little red, crescent marks on her shoulder blades. She knew her release was just around the corner, and as it drew painfully near, she raised her hips to meet each one of the pitcher's hard thrusts. The sounds Ashlyn's fingers made in contact with her soaked folds were an absolute turn on for the both of them. 

"Oh baby I'm close, don't stop don't stop." Ali moaned into Ashlyn's lips as she fell to the power of pleasure Ashlyn was currently giving her. 

"Cum for me baby." Ashlyn stated and with a curl of her fingers, Ali's walls tightened around her digits and she screamed in pure ecstasy into Ashlyn's mouth, completely spent and foggy eyed. 

Ashlyn gave her a few nips on her lips and along her jawline before moving down to Ali's core and lapping hungrily at the juices that coated her folds and clit. She felt Ali's legs shudder with each swipe of her tounge. She gave her clit a hard but pleasurable suck before kissing it and pulling up Ali's tights. 

"This was a bad idea but yet such a good one." Ali panted and attempted to balance herself on her wobbly legs before grabbing onto Ashlyn's practice shirt. Her hand trailed down low enough and cupped the pitcher's core with a devious smile. "I can't let my number one pitcher go out there unsatisfied."

Ashlyn was only able to swallow hard when Ali loosened the belt on the baseball pants before unbuttoning them and slipping her hand into her wet spandex shorts. "Baby you're soaked." Ali stated with a kiss to her neck. Her finger quickly found the pitcher's clit and used some of her juices to lubricate her fingers before rubbing hard circles into it. She grinned as Ashlyn's fingers gripped into her waist, her head falling to the crook of her neck and Ashlyn's warm breath washing over her neck as the pitcher breathed harder with each motion of her finger. When it seemed like she tortured Ashlyn long enough she finally entered her with a single finger and slowly moved. 

"Fucking hell Al." Ashlyn groaned in pleasure at the first thrust of Ali's hand. 

Ashlyn pulled her into a very rough kiss and mumbled what Ali believed to be "more". One of Ashlyn's hands flew out to grab the chair to give her some kind of stability while Ali worked her to an orgasm. 

"Are you close baby." Ali moaned into the blonde's ear as she pushed another finger inside Ashlyn's wet walls that continuously kept drawing her in. 

Ashlyn all but collapsed right then and there but kept her grip on the chair strong. She growled into Ali's mouth as she came on the slender fingers inside her core, letting a slight shudder out when she felt those slender fingers stroke her walls before retracting from her core. 

"I don't think I'll be able to walk straight for the rest of the day." Ashlyn said after nearly devouring Ali's lips in a hard kiss. 

"Sorry but I had to, because you're sexy as hell and you do crazy things to my body." Ali said as she dragged her fingers up the v-line of Ashlyn's body before using a sanitary wipe to clean her hands and the pitcher before getting her clothing back in order. She leaned up on her toes and kissed her soundly before patting her abdomen.

"You need to get to practice and fast before Andy tears you a new one."

"I'm on it, I hope I didn't overstep some boundaries but if I did please tell me." Ashlyn gave her another kiss, smiling as she saw how kiss swollen Ali's lips were. "I love you." She knew that Ali wasn't emotionally ready to actually say "I love you" back, although she was ready to allow someone to love her and in turn grow to love them back. She knew Ali had deep feelings for her and didn't doubt it. 

Ali gave smiled and joined their lips in a quick kiss. "You need to go, Green Giant."

Ashlyn squeezed her hip before running out to the field where everyone was already practicing. She tried to avoid Andy's line of sight since she was a good 15 minutes late. Sneaking around was essentially futile because everyone knew if the star pitcher wasn't out in the field. So one quick bark of orders from Andy and Ashlyn realized she'd been caught. Andy made her run for a solid 15 minutes before she was allowed to join in on drills and the split team scrimmage. 

Once practice ended and everyone was showered, Andy instructed a few players to head over to where the media were set up.

"I'm so tired of the media, it's like each time they come they try to trump each other with who can come up with the dumbest questions." Pinoe grumbled as she towel dried her hair and grabbed her cap. 

"Sweeten up sour puss." Hope patted her back and headed out first to the media event. 

"How can I? They'll ask dumb shit and then the guy next to him will probably ask what color my pubes are or something. Just irrelevant shit, I don't know why Andy doesn't make Syd or Alex do this stuff." Pinoe huffed and slipped on her team hoodie. 

Ashlyn chuckled, everyone knew Pinoe hated these media events like crazy. Ashlyn actually didn't mind them if they asked them good and engaging questions. She headed to Ali's office and waited as Ali finished up on a few of the younger players. They shared a few hearty laughs before Ali's eyes met Ashlyn's and she gave her the famous nose crinkled grin and mouthed "hold on".

Crystal, JJ and Moe left the recovery room with a fit of giggles. Ashlyn gave them a look that seemed to ignite more from them. 

"What's going on with them?" Ashlyn asked as she watched the young group of women leave. 

Ali just gave a little shrug and chuckled as the pitcher frowned. "They were just telling me how Andy made you run for what looked like the worst 15 minutes of your life."

"Listen Short Stack, I may do cardio every now and but us pitchers do not run." Ashlyn informed with some sass. "Anyways, you'll have to hang here for a while longer, since I have some media to take care of before we can leave."

"That's okay, text me when you're done." Ali gave a look at the doorway before kissing the pitcher and going back to work. 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn, Andy, Pinoe and Abby were seated at a long table adorned with branded water bottles, Gatorade bottles along with other sponsored items. They were each being asked a variety of questions but they generated around their next game against the Trojans. The women kept their answers very typical but respectful. 

Each question was becoming more and more repetitive but the players kept an indifferent face. There were only a few minutes left in the media session until one question snapped Ashlyn's attention into full alertness.

"Question for Ashlyn. Is it true that you're in a relationship with a married woman? More specifically the team's PT...uh Alexandra Krieger?" The squirrelly looking male journalist asked, garnering whispers and looks. 

Ashlyn's face stayed as indifferent as she could muster before clearing her throat which sounded like a stampede with how quiet the room was. "I'm sorry but I fail to see how this has anything to do with our next game against the Trojans. Baseless questions should not even be mentioned."

The man spoke up again, insistent on getting an answer from the star pitcher. A quote or reaction from one of the most famous pitchers would definitely get him a good payday and on the cover of plenty magazines. "It isn't baseless. You were seen rushing from the club and then seen leaving your home this morning with Alexandra Krieger?" He lifted up a magazine that had two pictures to prove his answer. "I guess even superstar athletes love a good affair huh."

Ashlyn jolted from her chair and sent sent daggers in the direction of the journalist. She slapped the magazine off of the table when it made its way to their table. There was no way she was going to put up with this squirrelly asshole who was trying to complicate everything in order to hit the "jackpot" in his line of work. She was ready to chew the guy's face off when Andy and Abby both grabbed her by the shoulders. 

"You're finished for today, head home and we'll take care of things here." Abby whispered to her before shoving Ashlyn towards the hallway. Ashlyn could hear the media outlets yelling questions for her as she left, and the blatant disrespect that were within those ignorant and prodding questions, made her angry. 

Ashlyn all but stomped down to Ali's office, muttering to herself about how much she hated media sessions and the squirrel faced journalist. She threw the door open, revealing a surprised and almost frightened looking Ali. "We need to go." Ashlyn said in a clipped tone but when she received no answer, she realized the mistake she had made. She gave herself a hard internal slap before going over to Ali. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm sorry Ali."

Ali moved over to hug the pitcher tightly before nodding into her chest and leaned back a little too look at her. "What's wrong Ash?"

"Some interviewer asked about our relationship. He tagged it as if I must love a good affair. I wanted to punch him in the face but Abby and coach stopped me. But we should go, now." Ashlyn helped to get Ali's stuff before giving her one of her large hoodies to hide her face in and stay warm. It was a bit ironic seeing as how the back of the hoodie had "HARRIS" spelled out clearly. She took Ali's hand and jogged out to the parking lot where they were practically assaulted by paparazzi and journalists yelling all kinds of invasive questions and obscene comments. 

Ashlyn kept Ali extremely close to her body and helped her inside the Jeep, grateful for the tint she had on the all black vehicle. She gave a small shove to one paparazzi trying to yell things at Ali as she closed the car door. She hopped into her side and started the vehicle up before giving one long and loud honk to warned them to move out from her way. 

When they finally got home, Ashlyn pulled into her driveway and garage when she saw the hoards of cameras flashing. She shut the garage door behind them and started into the house to close her windows and blinds. 

"I'm so sorry about this." Ashlyn apologized with a completely dejected tone. "I'm the reason why there's so much attention on us and most likely we'll be forced to talk about things earlier than we wanted to." 

Ali hugged her from behind and leaned up to kiss the back of her neck where little whisps of hair lay. She laid her head on Ashlyn's back, "It's okay, we'll figure this out together like we originally discussed, the time-line just got bumped up."

"You're right." Ashlyn sighed and covered Ali's hands with her own. "They just got to me, but I can't deny the fact that I'm overly protective of you."

"That's fine, you're my Green Giant, you're supposed to be overly protective. But I do think tomorrow though I'd like to get my stuff from my old home. It's clear that I don't want to try anything with Matthew so if you're free could you help?"

"I'm always free for you."


	21. Spontaneous Arrival and Put Down pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back guys. I had some pretty bad headaches for the last day and a half, went to the doctor and got some pain relievers that knocked me on my ass to be frank. But everything is okay now :)

It was their day off but Andy wanted them back in the stadium for practice. Since they won their first game against the Trojans, Andy wanted a repeat of that win especially since they were going to face the Trojans again at home before they traveled for the last game in San Francisco. Both Ashlyn and Ali wanted to get Ali's belongings but because of Andy's impromptu practice, they'd have to postpone for the next day.

So here Ashlyn was bitting her nails because she was letting Ali drive her Jeep. Kyle was practically cackling in the back seat both at Ashlyn's nervousness and his sister's driving. However, a sudden jerk of the car made Kyle stop as he grabbed onto the seat in front of him. 

"Jesus christ Ali, have you driven a car before?!" Kyle asked with his heart nearly in his throat. 

"Screw you Kyle." Ali said while looking into the rear view mirror. 

Ashlyn patted Ali's thigh rather frantically while pointing to the road. "Babe...babe eyes on the road, eyes on the road."

"Ash, stop it and you too Ky." Ali pouted as she took a rather deep turn to pull into the stadium. 

"Oh my goodness Al." Ashlyn mumbled as they finally pulled into the player's parking lot. It seemed as if both she and Kyle were in a race to see who could get out first. 

"You guys are drama queens." Ali crossed her arms and let Ashlyn carry her bag. 

Another car pulled up in the parking space next to them and out came Whit, Pinoe, Syd and HAO all laughing their butts off.

"I don't know how you bring this woman in public Whit, because holy shit your bestie can't drive." Pinoe cackled while bent over and holding her sides. 

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes at the group of women. "I wasn't the one driving."

Syd scoffed, "The least you could do is give us a better excuse. Like I don't know, you just got Lasik surgery this morning."

"Ali was driving not me." Ashlyn pointed out. 

"Damn Kriegy, that Jeep isn't even a stick shift." HAO stated.

Ali rolled her eyes when everyone looked at her. "Her monster of a car is too freaking huge! How's anyone supposed to see and drive that thing? I thought I was going to hit someone-"

"Or kill us." Kyle mumbled. 

"Shut it Kyle." 

"Well all I can say is just let my bestie drive, because wow. If I was a cop, I would've thought you were drunk." Whit admitted while grabbing her gear from the trunk of Pinoe's car. 

"Ugh you all are buttheads." Ali muttered. 

Ashlyn patted her back and leaned down to her ear. "It's okay babe, you're still cute but I'm driving home."

"The next person to talk shit will get hard recovery, I'm not kidding." Ali said with a pat to Ashlyn's side as they entered the stadium. 

●●●●●●

They Senators were already split off into teams for their open practice. Plenty of fans filled the stadium to watch but Kyle stood out the most with him being fully decked out in fan gear complete with face paint, screaming at the top of his lungs whenever the smallest thing happened. Especially if Ali came out on the field to help some players out, Kyle would be the first to yell "That's my sister!" at the top of his lungs. Halfway through open practice and Kyle was practically a celebrity in the stands. 

"I love that guy." Syd said as she stood on home plate. She didn't notice when Ashlyn threw a pitch that purposely nailed her right in her calf guard. "Motherfucker!"

"Language Syd." Andy called out. 

"Eyes on the ball Jailbait, next time swing." Ashlyn yelled with her mitt covering her grin. 

"Yea, imma swing for your fucking face Green Giant!" Syd yelled back smugly, she knew Ashlyn only allowed Ali to call her that because of their friendly banter but Syd wanted to share it with all their fans. 

Ashlyn's smile dropped into a frown as she heard Syd's smug remark. She winded up her arm and threw a hard pitch straight into Whit's awaiting glove, leaving Syd wide eyed.

"C'mon Jailbait, you gotta be quicker than that."

Syd tossed her bat and ran straight to the mound, snatching a protein shake filled water bottle from their second string pitcher and tackling Ashlyn to the ground before emptying the entire water bottle of a protein shake.

"Keep talking shit Harris and you're ass is mine." Syd laughed as she continued to empty the bottle on the pitcher which had the fans going wild. 

Ashlyn tried to shield her face as best as she could but Syd got her good. They wrestled for a while which got some of the protein shake on Syd as well. "Okay, okay truce." Ashlyn yelled, completely out of breath. 

"Yea you better." 

"Okay you divas, move along so we can finish up practice." Pinoe called out from home plate. 

"Harris, Syd, start running. And I do mean running, no jogging or stopping until I blow whistle." Andy informed and pointed.

"Congratulations asswipe, we have to run." Ashlyn groaned at Syd.

Syd shrugged started their punishment. "Don't test me butthead."

It was one for the books, when both Syd and Ashlyn saw the fans running with them through the stands to give then encouragement, and discretely in the hopes of signatures, pictures, and videos. Both players got some in while Andy's back was turned. And as they ran past the dugout, Ashlyn flashed a wink and a dimpled grin Ali's way which made her face turn completely red as she tried to focus on helping Marcus with planning the recovery session. 

Once open practice was over, Andy blew his whistle to end Ashlyn's and Syd's torture before everyone went to interact with the fans. 

Ali went over to her now fan famous brother and gave him a tight hug. "You look like you're enjoying yourself out here."

"What can I say, the people love me." Kyle shrugged, so I guess I'll wait around for you guys to do recovery before we head out for some fun?"

"Yup, it shouldn't take long though." 

Kyle shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Have fun sissy."

The Senators all headed inside to shower, Ali headed to her office to retrieve some items from her cabinet. She was surprised by Ashlyn sitting in her desk chair, normally she'd be happy to see the pitcher but right now Ashlyn smelled like rancid milk because of the protein shake that was spilled on her and only got worse out in the air. 

"You smell absolutely terrible." Ali laughed with her fingers pinched over her nose. 

Ashlyn rose from the seat and stalked closer to Ali with a smirk. "Shower with me." She leaned down to kiss her but her lips met Ali's cheek. 

"Of course," Ali smiled back before opening up her locker and bringing out body wash and shampoo. "But you have to shower first. You smell like a compost bin."

Ashlyn snickered and pulled Ali into the bathroom connected to her office. Ashlyn immediately started removing her clothing in order to get rid of most of the smell. She looked up to see Ali taking her own off rather slowly. Ashlyn figured it was because she still smelled bad, so she took the shampoo abs quickly washed her hair and pulled Ali inside the clear standing shower. 

"All clean." Ashlyn informed before smashing their lips together and feeling Ali moan against her lips. 

Ali's hands ran down her side, happy to not hear Ashlyn hiss in pain if she touched her side. She took one of the hands that Ashlyn had on her lower back and dragged it to the front of her pelvis and down to folds.

"Mmm someone's in a hurry." Ashlyn said smugly while justifying kissing down her neck. 

"Of course I am, I have to start recovery with Marcus soon. And I really want you in me." Ali explained through a moan as Ashlyn's fingers parted her folds and rubbed at her already swollen clit. Ashlyn was always a switch for her, whether it be by making her happy, feel safe, giving her strength and also making her horny. Her body craved the touched abdominal she sure as hell wasn't going to deny her body of that pleasure, especially from a woman that loved her. 

"Oh god." Ali groaned as two long fingers entered her core. "Just like that Ash mmm."

Ashlyn removed her fingers just as fast as she put them there only to lift Ali up so her legs would wrap around her waist. She pushed her fingers back into Ali's wet core and pumped her fingers in a slow but deliberate pace. She used her free hand to palm Ali's butt as her lips continued making open mouthed kisses over the expanse of Ali's throat. 

"Ash, baby I'm close." Ali moaned into her pitcher's ear before nibbling on it slightly. 

With the shower running, both women didn't hear the office door and Kyle's voice behind it. 

"Ali where are you? Help me wash this shit off my face before I get pimples." Kyle called out. 

Ashlyn's head popped up at recognition of Kyle's voice, although, her fingers kept pumping inside Ali steadily. "Al, your brother's in your office."

"Seriously." Ali hissed in a hushed tone. She was teetering right on the edge of a very powerful orgasm and by all means, she was going to get it. "Maybe he'll leave." She leaned down to kiss her pitcher deeply, moaning when their tounges dueled for dominance.

"Ali are you here? Damn it I look like fool with this stuff on." Kyle grumbled. 

"He's not leaving." Ashlyn said on Ali's lips while using her thumb to rub hard circles into her swollen clit all at the same time of her fingers. She could feel Ali's impending orgasm because of how tight her walls were becoming over her fingers and how much more sloppy her kisses were getting. 

The moment Ashlyn finally pushed Ali over the edge was the moment Kyle barged into the bathroom with a blood curdling scream. 

"Why! Why! Why!" Kyle yelled. "Couldn't one of you just say 'Kyle come back later, we're having sex?' Would that have been so hard?"

"Holy shit!" Ashlyn yelled back, her fingers were still pumping into Ali, helping her come down from her orgasm. 

Ali lifted her head from Ashlyn's shoulder and narrowed her eyes at why her brother was still in the bathroom after what he'd just seen. "Why are you still here? Go away Kyle."

"As much as I didn't want to see this, I thought _only you_ would be in here and decent for that matter. And as happy as I am for you both, I still need someone to wash this shit off my face." Kyle argued. "Plus, you have that face wash was I like and I don't want to mess up my hair."

"God Kyle really?"

"Yes, and stop being selfish. You had your orgasm, now help me wash my face." Kyle replied while scrolling through his phone. 

"I'm sorry, my brother is a kumquat." Ali said as she kissed Ashlyn's neck and slowly got down to her feet. She grabbed a towel and left one for Ashlyn. Ashlyn pulled her back before giving her a very deep kiss that put a haze back in Ali's mind. 

"Nuh huh stop that. Your poor older brother has already just witnessed the both of you getting it on. I don't need to see more, besides you two will have plenty of time to do so when yall get home." Kyle butted in with heavy sass. 

Ali rolled her eyes and pecked Ashlyn's lips once more before tugging on Kyle's hair to pull him out of the bathroom. 

When Ashlyn came out of the bathroom fully dressed, she couldn't help but laugh at how Kyle was shrieking when Ali kept getting water in his hair. She leaned on the doorway and continued to watch them as Ali finished. 

"Well now that I've experienced water boarding for the first time in my life, can we just meet up with the rest of the players before my sister kills me." Kyle said in the most dramatic voice he could muster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now there's a reason as to why Ali seems like such a littl sex bunny (for lack of better terms) but we'll get to that later.


	22. Spontaneous Arrival and Put Down pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. For the life of me I couldn't find where I put this file. Anyways, Bam, Grey and Duchess, yall got one of your wishes in this chapter ;)

Ashlyn, Ali and Kyle pulled into the parking lot of the sports bar that Pinoe's family own. Ashlyn made sure to drive them there rather than Ali, which made Kyle laugh the whole way there which earned him a few slaps from his sister. 

"Finally you guys are here! We thought yall got lost or something." Abby yelled from across the room. 

"Or let Ali drive." Pinoe chuckled before handing them all different flavors of ginger ale.

"Gustavo is just calling your name." Ali quipped. 

Syd laughed and shook Pinoe's shoulders. "Don't mess with Kriegy, she has jokes too."

Pinoe raised up her hands in defeat. "Okay. I know when I'm beat."

Abby shook her head and turned back to the football game on the large flat-screens hung above them. 

Kyle went around talking to a few of the players and in general making everyone laugh their asses off. He quickly made a stop by his sister, drumming his hands on her shoulders before sitting down next her. 

"Hey you. You came to talk more shit about my driving?" Ali joked around her ginger ale.

"Sadly no. I'm here for something more serious." Kyle eluded to Ashlyn with a flicker of his eyes. 

Ali raised an eyebrow and looked at him with surprise clear in her facial features. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that aren't you and Ashlyn moving fast? I mean it wasn't even a week after we talked about you leaving Matthew. Now I come into a bathroom with you and Ashlyn getting down and dirty in there." Kyle explained. 

"Ashlyn just makes me feel comfortable. I don't know there's something about her that just makes me feel at ease." Ali smiled softly. Ashlyn was a bright spot for her. She'd never have to worry about anything harmful coming from Ashlyn because she was always genuine towards her. 

Kyle nodded in understanding. "I get that Sis, I really do. But don't you think you're easy to persuade or take advantage of because anything that's better than your shitty soon to be ex-husband is appealing?"

"What are you saying Kyle?" 

"I'm just saying that now that your done with Matthew, don't you want some time to yourself? You know time to be yourself without someone else being there?" Kyle explained his thoughts some more. 

Ali leaned back in her seat and looked hard at her brother. "I thought you were happy for me that I found someone?"

Kyle reached over to take her hands and squeeze them under his own. "I am happy for you but to spend 5 years with that prick, whose ass I still want to kick, doesn't it make you feel as if you just need some time to be yourself? To learn yourself again?"

Ali gave a small shrug. "I don't know, I never thought about it."

"Look I'm not trying to break you two up but just give yourself some time for you know, yourself." Kyle spoke and finished off his ginger ale.

"I will Ky, thanks for the little heart to heart. It means so much." Ali smiled and gave him a tight hug. 

Kyle gladly squeezed back. "No problem Sissy." He pulled away with a grin and turned to go until he snapped his fingers. "Oh yea, have you talked to mom yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, you two really need to talk. It'd do you both a lot of good, I mean it can't hurt to try."

Ali nodded and gave a small chuckle. "I know but I...I just wouldn't know what to say to her. I was pretty much an asshole to her and-"

"Hey." Kyle paved his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "All you have to do is try. Even if you don't know what to say, just find any excuse. I'm sure she'd love the gesture."

"You're right." Ali pulled him back into another. "Oh what would I do without you Ky?"

"You'd never have to know. Besides, we all know I'm the best bro around." Kyle smiled before heading over to mingle with his favorite women. 

Ali sighed as she watched her brother all but jump on Abby's back while making a Tarzan like yell. She felt warm hands trace over the backs of her arms.

"Hey." Ashlyn breathed into Ali's ear but from anyone else it looked as if she just reaching over to grab something. "What were you and your hilarious bro talking about? It seemed serious."

"Just some family talk. Don't worry about it." Ali mumbled before laying her head backwards on the pitcher's shoulders. 

"Mmkay."

"Hey, you two wanna come over and hang out with us or is Ashlyn gonna bore you with her many accolades?" Pinoe shouted over the loud speakers.

Ali squeezed Ashlyn's bicep and stood to move over to the group of women. They all stood watching the football game, although most didn't care that much for the sport, most of the women were still able to pick a side and cheer when something like a touchdown or tackle happened for the team they were rooting for. At some point they ran out of ginger ale and Pinoe's parents locked the beer taps and alcohol.

"Kyliwileey and Ashypoo can you two head to the freezer out back and grab some cases of ginger ale?" Pinoe asked from her spot on the bar counter top. 

Both Kyle and Ashlyn have Pinoe a weird look before nodding.

"Yes chief." Kyle said in his best soldier voice he could muster without laughing. 

Syd threw a piece of ice at them while picking up another piece. "Get my damn ginger ale."

Kyle wrapped his strong arm around Ashlyn's shoulder and pulled her into his side while patting her belly. "Time to get this animals their drank."

Ashlyn snorted at the absurdity that was Kyle. The man was hilarious she couldn't deny it, she could clearly see why Ali loved him so much. They continued joking around as they made their way out of the sports bar and headed towards the building next to the bar which served as a freezer and refrigerator. They were halfway there when a familiar voice immediately got their attention.

"Hey Kyle." Matthew said in disgust while walking over to them. "Where's my wife?"

Kyle grounded his teeth together while his jaw all but set. Ashlyn took a step forward to try and stop anything from becoming physical. 

"Just get out if here Matthew. She doesn't want to see you, hell, no one wants to see you so just go away." Ashlyn stated with a hard look of her own.

Matthew shook his head with a look of absolute disgust. "I don't even know how you of all people even have the right to talk to me. After kissing _my wife_ and I pray that she has some damn decency and didn't sleep with you."

"Save some of that prayer for yourself, god knows you need it." Kyle spat. "And watch your mouth when you talk about Ali. Because I'll beat your ass."

"Cool your jets hairdresser, this doesn't concern you." Matthew said with a roll of his eyes. 

"How the fuck did you even find us? Huh, did you stalk us?" Kyle asked but when he received a shrug from Matthew that didn't deny the possibility that he probably followed them, boiled his blood. "You sick son of a bitch!" Kyle all but snarled. Her tried to push through Ashlyn but she proved hard to bypass. 

"She's my wife Kyle, I don't know how you and your gay fuck buddies act towards each other, but I actually try to find my wife and correct her mistakes." Matthew said it like it was so simple. However, the way he said the word "gay" while pertaining to Kyle irked him. 

Ashlyn could feel the stream all but emanating off of Kyle's body but she really didn't want to start a fight, nor did she want to fill out a police report. "You need to fix the way you speak and you need to realize that both of us want to kick your ass, so get back in your car and fucking leave." Ashlyn said truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to kick his ass, it was hard enough to hold herself back let alone Kyle as well.

"Stop wasting my time. My wife is coming back with me whether you two like it or not. So gayby here can calm his fucking tits-"

"You're a piece of shit you know that right. I should beat your ass right now, right here. But I don't want to go to jail, but if you ever touch my sister in any way and she tells me, I will personally find you and kick your scrawny ass since you can pick on people your own size. You have to go for people smaller than you, how fucking pathetic." Kyle said in a tone that was promising. 

Matthew just laughed. "Alex is nothing without me, she loves me no matter what you say. So yeah if I want to rough her up to get my point across, then you best believe I will!"

Ashlyn was about to charge at the pompous dentist but Kyle beat her to it and slammed his fist solidly into Matthew's jaw, causing him to fall flat on his ass and into the snow. Ashlyn was about to tell Matthew off until she saw Kyle getting ready to hit Matthew again. Matthew tackled Kyle to the ground and they were punching, hitting, wrestling, and cursing at each other as one tried to get the upper hand. They were beginning to cause a ruckus and Ashlyn really didn't want to explain this to anyone. She didn't want for Ali to come out and see this dirt bag of a husband she was going to divorce. 

Ashlyn quickly moved over to the fight and tried to pull Matthew off of Kyle which resulted in Matthew elbowing her in the nose and Kyle getting an another punch to his jaw. Ashlyn knew her nose was probably bleeding but that was the last thing on her mind. She got got up with new purpose and all but yanked the two men apart from each other. 

"Enough!" Ashlyn yelled. "Matthew you better get the fuck out of here or else I'll help Kyle and pound your face in."

Matthew wiped his bleeding lip and chuckled. "You two are going to pay this. I fucking swear it." He gave them a look of disgust before stalking back to his car, slamming the door and peeling out of the parking lot. 

Ashlyn watched him go before turning back to Kyle. "Hey Rocky, you alright."

"Yea but that asshole really bit me. Fucking dentist. I should've knocked his teeth out." Kyle grumbled like a child while looking at the mark on his forearm. 

"C'mon champ," Ashlyn helped him up and dragged him towards the refrigerated warehouse next to the sports bar. She grabbed a case of ginger ale and gave another to Kyle while pulling out a bottle to place on his eye while she placed one on her nose. They started their walk back inside but Kyle took hold of her arm. 

"We can't tell Ali this...at least not right now." Kyle spoke. 

Ashlyn gave him a look that showed she didn't want to lie to the brunette. "Kyle-"

"I know, I know but she's happy right now and if we mention Senor Shithead, then we'll ruin her whole day and I don't want that. Let's just say we were careless and knocked faces or something." Kyle pleaded.

Ashlyn sighed before nodding. "Okay, fine but this is the last time I'm going to lie to Ali."

"Thanks." Kyle said with a small smile. 

Ashlyn figured he didn't want to lie either but he was trying to do what was best for his sister and Ashlyn really couldn't blame him for that. They walked back inside the sports bar and immediately were met with cackling from the women inside. 

"I asked you guys to get ginger ale, not go MMA on each other." Pinoe laughed. 

"Shut your face. There was a big ass bug and we were a bit overzealous in our attempts to kill it." Ashlyn said easily. 

"A bit overzealous? Sure." Whitney said between laughs. 

Kyle dramatically put the case of ginger ale on the bar top. "Take ya damn ginger ale you ungrateful baseball players. You know I risk my life trying to get this. My sister as my witness knows how I feel about spiders and I-"

Ali rolled her eyes and gave her brother a little hair tug. "Don't start with your drama now Kyle."

"Yes but you still love me." 

"Of course I do." Ali said with a kiss to his cheek before bumping her hip with Ashlyn's. "Did you two really get these battle scars from trying to kill a bug?" 

Ashlyn turned her attention from the large flat screen and looked down at Ali's raised eyebrow. "Yea Short Stack. They need an exterminator back there because whew...it's something." She chuckled but Ali's look showed she didn't believe it. 

"I'm waiting for you to tell me the truth." Ali replied.

Ashlyn looked around for anyone that could bail her out but everyone seemed preoccupied. She scratched the back of her neck before taking Ali's wrist and leading her to a less rowdy area. Her and Kyle's eyes connected before Ashlyn turned her attention back to Ali. She really didn't want to lie to Ali but she really didn't want Ali to start worrying about the fact that Matthew came here.

"Okay, Kyle hit me in the nose for 'corrupting his baby sissy'. I took the hit as a precursor to the talk of 'if you ever hurt my baby sis'. The ironic part was Kyle tried to show off and carry both cases of ginger ale, nevermind that he couldn't see over the cases, and he ran smack into on of the shelves." Ashlyn answered. She could see Ali struggling not to laugh and Ashlyn frowned. "Are you laughing at your Green Giant?"

Ali shook her head but Ashlyn could hear giggling. "I'm so sorry Ash, but I should've warned you. My brother tends to get a little crazy. With my past girlfriends or boyfriends, he'd always pretend to hit, pinch, annoy or just plain irritate them but he wouldn't actually do it, but I guess he accidentally got you."

"That brother of yours." Ashlyn said with a smile. 

"Don't worry when we get home I'll take good care of my Green Giant." Ali smirked suggestively while her hand trailed up Ashlyn's side. She watched Ashlyn swallow hard before dragging her back to watch the football game before she could try and get them to leave early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that beating sated the masses ;)


	23. Clearing Out the Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, my college semester starts up again on Tuesday so I was preparing for that :o

They went up the steps to Ali's old shared home. It took a while to shake the paparazzi that were entirely determined to actually follow them wherever they went. Ashlyn had to drive her car through neighborhoods before they finally lost them on the highway. 

Ashlyn carried boxes with her and followed Ali as she unlocked the door into the home. The moment the doors opened, the smell of booze hit them harder than any ball Ashlyn had taken to the face. Their noses scrunched up as they navigated through the dirty and cluttered home. Somehow through all the bottles and glasses, Ali's things were untouched.

Ali gave a sigh of relief and began to pack her clothes into a laundry basket they brought. "Ash could you get my shoes and purses and separate them before putting them in the box?"

"Yes ma'am." Ashlyn fake saluted.

Ali smiled softly at the goofy pitcher before getting back to the task at hand. She knew Matthew wouldn't be coming back until nearly after 8pm, the one time after so many months of remembering what days he worked and for how long, actually payed off.

It took close to 3 hours before they finished packing everything up and loading it into Ashlyn's Jeep when Ashlyn's phone rang, bearing Andy's number and name. 

"Yea what's up?" Ashlyn said, she knew exactly why he was calling. She flipped it on speaker and handed it to Ali as she started up the Jeep. 

"Is there something I should know about you and Alexandra because I'm not one for gossip or anything but I have loads upon loads of magazines with you and Alexandra headlining. I need to know if there's anything I can do to help?" Andy offered. 

Ali took this as her cue to speak up, she knew Ashlyn was sort of walking in blind when it came to their relationship because essentially everything came down to Ali.

"Um hey Andy, it's Ali. Ashlyn and I are in a relationship. Legally I'm still married but due to circumstances I'm getting a divorce very soon. We didn't want to publicize our relationship until everything on my end was taken care of." Ali explained simply, the less detail she went into, the better. 

They could hear Andy sigh deeply on the other line before speaking back up. "You two know this looks really bad, right? To be frank, I don't even think I need to tell you two that but I will say don't talk to any reporters or journalists. Keep to yourselves until yall have taken care of everything."

"What about the team?" Ashlyn chimed in. 

"I really don't know. I don't want any secrets between my players but I feel like we should keep all of this contained and handled before we start informing others." Andy decided. "Look, I'm not saying that yall can't be together, just be mindful as of right now."

Ashlyn nodded, she was satisfied with her coach's decision. It wasn't like she thought that he'd tell them to break up but she didn't think that he'd give them such a good option, one that she and Ali actually preferred at the moment.

"Okay thanks coach." Ashlyn took the phone from Ali, hanging up. "So what's next on the to-do list?"

Today was going to be an emotionally draining day for Ali, and Ashlyn wanted to be there to help. Retrieving Ali's clothing from her old home was only the first step. They still needed to separate Ali from her shared bank accounts with Matthew, any other financial matters that they shared, like bills. They also needed to find a divorce lawyer. It was going to take time but they wanted to proceed swiftly. 

Ashlyn pulled her Jeep into the parking lot of the bank that Ali informed her to go to. They both slipped on big sunglasses despite the low sun exposure during winter in Maryland. They didn't want to deal with any fans or people taking pictures of them. Ali signed in at the counter before getting called into one of the bank offices. Ashlyn waited in the lounge as Ali took care of her business. She went ahead and made quite a few calls to divorce lawyers before finally deciding on the one she thought Ali should use. It took nearly two hours before an extremely tired looking Ali came out of the office. She shook the banker's hand before giving Ashlyn a tired smile. 

Ashlyn wrapped am arm around her waist as they left the the bank. She helped Ali place all of the bank papers in the back seat before driving back to Ali's old home so Ali could get her car. Ali followed Ashlyn back home only to see a small crowd of paparazzi hanging around the pitcher's property. Lucky for them Ashlyn's garage was rather large and could fit both of their vehicles with ease. 

Ali entered the living room and dropped the papers on the table with a sigh. "Do you want to make dinner or order out? I know there's a game coming up but I'm kind of too tired to make anything that fits your diet."

Ashlyn turned on her house alarm and nodded while she placed the boxes of shoes and other items along with the laundry basket of clothes on the ground near their bedroom. She dialed the number for a Chinese takeout place that she frequented quite a bit on the off season. Once her order was finished she plopped down next to Ali and took her hand. 

"I hope you don't mind but Whit, Pinoe and HAO are coming by for dinner. They called on our way back here."

Ali's head gravitated towards Ashlyn's as she laid on the couch and closed her eyes. "That's fine."

"I found a divorce lawyer, maybe in a few days we can and talk to her soon? You know, get the process moving, the quicker the better." Ashlyn stated.

"Yea some time." Ali replied off handily. She was tired, both emotionally and physically. She knew that getting a divorce and splitting would be an extremely invasive and emotional event for her to endure. Even with all the comfort that Ashlyn provided for her, she still felt this overwhelming feeling everytime she even thought about the divorce. As much as Matthew hurt her, the thought of the divorce and everything she needed to do beforehand was almost frightening. Ali would now experience the pains of divorce and possibly having to explain the things Matthew did to her. She was drained, completely drained. 

"Al you need to stay in good spirits. You can't let this stuff start getting you down." Ashlyn informed. "I will be there with you wherever I can be, I won't leave you alone Ali."

Ali gave a small nod as she pinched the fabric of Ashlyn's jeans. There were things she never told Ashlyn about her husband, sure Ashlyn had seen some of his worst qualities but there were more. She couldn't imagine having to explain all of it to a lawyer, a court or even Ashlyn. Shame overwhelmed her and made her want to be alone. Alone so she could be the only one to think about the things she allowed her husband to do, the things that really made her feel like all of this was her own fault because she allowed him to. 

Ali stood from her place on the couch, gathered her papers and folders and went towards their bedroom. Ashlyn was quick to follow her, but Ali wasn't in the mood to talk, not in the least. 

Ashlyn watched as Ali meticulously put away her clothes and personal items in the drawers Ashlyn emptied out for her. She could tell something was bothering the brunette, she'd just hoped that Ali would let her in. She came up behind her and squeezed her sides with a kiss to her cheek. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel like talking Ash." Ali dismissed and broke free of her arms in order to put the rest of her belongings away.

Ashlyn wasn't going to take the rejection so she went around to her front and stopped her. "You can talk to me Ali, please. If you're feeling sad, tired or angry, tell me. I'm here for you, I always will be."

Ali felt her entire body tremble before leaning into Ashlyn's open arms. She grabbed the cotton material of her shirt between her fingers and shook with a hard and dry sob. She was exhausted and scared. She didn't know what Matthew would do once he found out that she'd be filing for divorce. She could only imagine how he'd react and in the back of her mind she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Ali never really asked her mother how she got through the entire divorce with her father, how she got past the hurtful names that people from her father's side called her mother, how she got past the things that other people called her only after judging her. She really didn't even know if her mother talked to her father anymore. All she knew was the process nearly broke her mother, drove her to point where Ali thought she might not see her again, and Ali didn't want to end up like that. She wanted to be happy but in order to achieve that, she had to expose herself and it terrified her. People might not look at her the same way anymore, they might call her horrible names, and treat her the way she let Matthew treat her for years. 

The only thing Ali felt was in her power was to sob so hard that her body trembled and tears finally broke free from her eyes and soaked up the front of the pitcher's shirt. She sobbed so hard that her voice finally came out and characterized just how hopeless and weak she felt. 

Ashlyn was at a complete loss for words, she had no clue as to what she should do. She tightened her arms around the brunette and held her until the doorbell rang. She didn't want to leave Ali when she's hurting this badly, especially when she didn't know what was troubling the brunette. However, when the doorbell rang again, she reluctantly pulled away and gave her both a comforting squeeze and a gentle kiss. 

Ashlyn quickly glided over to the front door, ignoring the flash of cameras as she paid the awkward looking teenage delivery boy and took the food.

"Uh is it weird if I could ask for a picture or something?" The teenager asked with a hint of a smile. 

Ashlyn should've know he'd ask for a picture seeing as how he was wearing a Senators' baseball cap. She gave a nod before putting an arm on his shoulder as he snapped a quick selfie on his phone and thanked her before leaving with a huge smile. Ashlyn was about to go back inside when she heard Pinoe's trademark voice yelling at the journalist trying to get her, HAO and Whitney to talk to them. Ashlyn waited for them on her porch before she ushered them inside to the living room.

"Man those journos are freaking dedicated as fuck. It's nearly 30 degrees out there and they are so damn nosey for drama. Damn vultures." Pinoe grumbled. 

"Guys, I'll be right back." Ashlyn pointed them to the food before heading into her bedroom. Ali was freshly showered and looked a lot better than when she went to the door. "Hey, are you okay?"

Ali gave a small appreciative smile, "I'm fine, just drained. The reality of everything is finally hitting me and emotionally I guess I'm spent." She said with a chuckle. 

"Okay, well our friends are here and so is dinner. I don't know if you want to sleep or-"

"I'm fine Ash, thank you though." Ali spoke and patted Ashlyn's side as they went over to their friends to say their hellos. 

The women all piled into the living room and opened up all the take out containers. Each woman served themselves while Ashlyn flipped through tv channels before settling on some random baseball game. They watched intently, sometimes arguing with each other and disagreeing with the calls the umpire made calls they didn't agree with, more so because they wanted Denver to lose against Portland. 

They ate and hung out for a while more even after the game finished. 

Pinoe finished off her water before speaking her mind. "I know I tease you two a lot about getting together and whatnot but I can't help but feel as if I hit the nail on the head. Because Ali isn't wearing a wedding ring and Ash, you've had a protective arm around her since we've been here." 

Ali squeezed Ashlyn's thigh with a subtle nod. "We are together as a couple. We've had feelings for each other for a while now. So we're actually official."

HAO as oblivious as she was nearly dropped her glass of water on the rug. She blinked a few times before scanning each person's face and seeing how she was the only one that even seemed remotely surprised. She summed up that Pinoe and Whitney probably already had a an inking about Ashlyn and Ali.

"Holy shit, you guys could've fooled me. I had absolutely no freaking idea." HAO spoke. "This isn't a joke or a fling or anything right? I'm sort of confused because Ali, aren't you married still?"

"It's not a fling or an affair. My marriage is over, it has been for years." Ali clarified and felt Ashlyn's head snap towards her in confusion. "I'm in the process of beginning what needs to be done in order for a divorce to happen and dissolve my marriage. Ashlyn's been with me every step of the way." She said with a small smile that Ashlyn returned with one of her own as she squeezed her fingers gently. 

Whitney caught the look on Ashlyn's face and decided not to address it at the moment. Instead, she wanted to wish them happiness. She knew that something bad was the real reason as to why Ali was getting divorced but she was pretty sure that neither Ashlyn nor Ali would want her to inquire on it right now. 

"Well if this is what the both of you want them you have my support." Whitney smiled. 

"I'm guessing we're, apart from Andy, the only ones who know about this?" Pinoe asked knowingly. 

"Yes, coach didn't want us to keep any secrets from you guys but he also wanted us to complete everything before telling yall." Ashlyn stated. "You guys are our besties, so we deemed it acceptable to tell yall." She finished with a snotty tone that made Pinoe roll her eyes. 

"Sure blondie, but I'm happy for you two. Love is one hell of a reason to do things. Anyways, I've gotta get home, laundry waits for no soul." She gave everyone a big hug before leaving. HAO and Whitney also said goodbye but Whitney pulled her bestfriend aside while Ali and HAO talked with each other. 

"I saw that face you made when Ali talked about her marriage with her ex-husband, what's going on?"

"She said 'Its been over for years' Whit. She told me that they were at their breaking point nearly a year ago." Ashlyn clarified with a concerned look casted in Ali's direction. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe she got the number wrong, a slip of the tounge?" Whitney asked. 

Ashlyn shook her head in disagreement. "No. She wouldn't make a mistake when it pertains to that. I...If it's serious, then I'll call you if I need you." She pulled her best friend into a tight hug. 

Whitney nodded before leaving with HAO. Ashlyn promptly went over to help clean up the mess their friends made. She was wondering how to approach with her question without sounding like she was accusing her of something. 

"Ali, can I ask you something?"

Ali loaded the dishes into the dishwasher before facing the pitcher, "Sure, what's on your mind?"

"When all of us were talking, you said your marriage had been over years. But you told me it was nearly a year ago when things went bad...I guess I just want to know which one is the truth." Ashlyn asked nervously, she didn't want to make Ali uncomfortable but in some instances it was necessary.

Ali's eyes dropped to the ground with a near silent curse. "I meant... I said over for years because when I look back on things, I should've know they would only get worse."

"What do you mean by that?" Ashlyn questioned. It sounded like Ali was telling her a guarded truth.

"The stress he was under and his poor judgement calls that made him drink." Ali replied but with her eyes still on the tile kitchen floor. 

Ashlyn bit her lip with a frown. Ali was lying to her and she could tell. She wanted to do everything in her ability to help Ali and be there for her, but how could she when Ali kept her at arm's length? 

Ali knew her statement sounded weak, and with her downcast eyes, she probably looked like a liar. But truth be told, she had very deep feelings for the pitcher but she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth to the woman in front of her. 

"Can we just go to bed? I'm tired and I bet you probably are as well." Ali offered, she didn't want to stay on the topic. 

Ashlyn could hear the small finality in Ali's voice, symbolically asking her not to press the topic. She nodded and they finished cleaning up before getting ready for bed. Ashlyn couldn't deny the fact that she thought once Ali was free from Matthew then their lives together would be smooth sailing. It was clear that she was wrong and couldn't have been farther from the truth. It was going to be a tough process but there was no way Ashlyn wasn't going to help her through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What else could lali be possibly hiding? ;)


	24. Talk to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's what Ali's been hiding :o

The Senators went on to finish their series with the San Francisco Trojans with another win at home but a narrow loss in San Francisco. It was a loss that had the Senators beating themselves up over it, because they were leading but due to quite a few mistakes that led to Trojan runs, they lost their lead and the game. Andy was sure to grill them and make sure they knew their performance was crap. But he also made sure that they knew that it wasn't the end of the season by a long shot. It was just a week filled with crap, but they were going to have to get over it. 

They landed back in Maryland a bit solemn and angry. Most of the players avoided the fans that called out for pictures and autographs. Andy gave the players grim looks until they went back to interacted with their fans. By the time they were done and on the team bus back to the stadium, they were all just exhausted. 

Ashlyn already had an Uber driver waiting for her. Ali couldn't make the San Francisco trip due to prior engagements with the divorce lawyer, Danica, but even when Ali was at the home game, distant was an understatement. Any kind of intimate contact sort of just stopped and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. It was as if Ali just lived with her but accomplished the most minimal amount contact if she could help it. 

She paid the driver and thanked him before shouldering her bag and entering her home. There was no sign of Ali except a note that said she'd be home by 4pm with a late lunch. Ashlyn's eyes flickered down to her phone screen and smiled a bit when it read 3:40pm. She was about to crack open a beer when her phone rang and she noticed it was the number of the divorce attorney. She quickly answered it, thinking that something bad happened to Ali. 

"Hello?!"

"Yes, Ms.Harris, sorry to bother you but it's Danica, Alexandra's attorney. I know about client-attorney privilege but I just want to inform you that I think you need to have a long talk with Alexandra. It'd be better to hear some things from her mouth in the comfort of each other, rather than the harshness of a court house since we're proceeding with her case in a few days." Danica stated. 

Ashlyn was at a loss for words, she knew since Pinoe and them came over that something was really bothering Ali. Not to mention the fact that Ali was so distant, almost cold towards her. She could tell Ali was trapped in her head but she didn't know the reason why."

"Yea, thank you. I'll definitely talk to her about this. Thank you for giving me a heads up."

"The pleasure is mine. I know I overstepped some boundaries but I honestly believe you both will benefit from it. Have a good day Ms.Harris." Danica assured before hanging up. 

Ashlyn drummed her fingers on the kitchen island as Danica's words stewed in her head. She mulled over it long and hard before she finally heard the locks tumble and in came Ali with lunch from an organic sandwich shop. 

"Hey, I didn't know you were back already. I just left the sticky note in case." Ali said with a small smile while putting down the folders from Danica and the bags from the sandwich shop they both adored. 

"Ali we need to talk." Ashlyn spoke. She needed to rip the bandaid off, she couldn't go at this slowly because they'd wasted enough time never addressing it. 

"About what?" Ali looked at her curiously and a hint of uncertainty. Everyone knows the premise of break ups 'We need to talk' was always the precursor.

"You've been incredibly distant towards me, whether it's us being intimate, kissing, cuddling, text messages or even phone calls. Sometimes I swear you're even trying to limit how much you talk to me, and I just don't know if I did something to warrant this or something is clearly bothering you." Ashlyn started. "And I know you said there was nothing else to talk about pertaining to yours and Matthew's past but I can't help but feel as if you lying to me."

"No you haven't done anything wrong. I've just been busy with Danica, and I know you want to be in game mode for games so I didn't call or text." Ali defended weakly. "I've told you about Matthew and I already, why do you want to delve into it?" A hint of weak anger sounded in Ali's tone. 

"Because I know you're hiding something from me. And I don't want to find out for the first time along side with whoever is at the court house. I'm in your corner Ali, but you're pushing me away and I really don't know how to get back to you. I need you to trust me, I need you to provide me with your honesty even if it hurts."

Ali shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ali, for love of everything, just tell me what you've been holding in for so long. Danica is worried about you, I'm worried about you!" Ashlyn raised her voice in frustration. 

Ali gave her an appalled look at what she'd said and what her attorney possibly told Ashlyn. "Danica told you about what we talked about? She had no right to do that." She said in a voice that should've roared anger but was completely beat out by desperation and a look of horror.

Ashlyn knew she had two choices: 1. Lie and tell Ali that Danica did tell her what happened or 2. Tell the truth that you don't know but Danica strongly believes that Ali should tell her. There was absolutely no way she was going to lie to Ali again about something, she had no desire to do that. 

"Danica didn't tell me anything. She just said that you and I should have a big talk before you go to court to get divorced. She said there are certain things I would want to hear from you first in the comfort of each other rather than a court house setting." Ashlyn explained. 

"No...no. I can't talk about it right now." Ali spoke and grabbed the food out from the bags. 

"I need you to talk to me, Ali. We can't keep repeating this cycle of gimmie gimme, I need you to willingly want to talk to me."

Ali's fingers gripped the bags of the sandwiches. "If I tell you then you won't think of me the same way. I told one of my friends from college and she called me disgusting. She said I was sick, that I must've needed love so badly to stick through it."

"My feelings for you won't change. Nothing you tell me will change the way I feel for you Al, but I need you to be honest with me." Ashlyn almost begged and took a gentle hold of Ali hands as she stood behind her with her chin on her shoulder. 

Ali nodded and brought her to the dinner table. She sat bedside her and immediately went to wringing her fingers. Her teeth lightly bit her bottom lip before she worked up the courage to speak. 

"I didn't lie when I said that my marriage with Matthew was near the breaking point nearly a year ago. However, we've had a lot of breaking points. Matthew always had a drinking problem, he had one since college. I um would tell people that it started to reach an all-time high nearly one year ago, because people would look at me like I was insane for staying with him for this long if I told them the truth about his drinking problem." Ali explained, this was only the beginning of what was going to be a hard thing to explain to Ashlyn. She lost friends over this, she watched her mother be chastised by family and friends for staying with her father, and Ali couldn't bear to see Ashlyn do the same to her. 

Ashlyn reached over and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. She gave their intertwined fingers a soft kiss, meeting Ali's eyes with her own nonjudgmental ones, urging her to continue.

"When we were in college, I'd say I was head over heels for Matthew. He was incredibly nice, thoughtful and a loving person. When I found out about his drinking problems, I and others tried to help him and it worked. At least I thought it did. For some reason I couldn't understand, he became increasingly mean to me, calling me names or just blaming anything he could think of on me, saying I was the reason for this or that. But he would always bring me flowers the next day, or give me heartfelt apologies or take me out somewhere to plead with me that he was sorry and he didn't mean it, so I thought he had changed. Everytime it would happen I'd always forgive him, throughout college and our marriage." Ali went on before using her free hand to wipe away some tears and swallowing to clear the lump in her throat. 

"During the first year of marriage, we were both busy with our new jobs, him at a dental office and me in a hospital. Our intimate life was definitely lower than what it was before and I could tell it bothered him. We talked about it and came to the conclusion that we'd make time for each other to have date nights or whatever. But I was wrong in initially thinking that he agreed with our compromise. Whenever Matthew wanted to be intimate, it wasn't a choice. I always felt like he was coercing me, or guilt-tripping me and sometimes it felt as if he was forcing me to because if I tried to disagree he'd get so angry and accuse me of cheating him. He would always tell me that a good wife doesn't deny her husband. It came to a point when I just stopped saying no, because I didn't want to face my angry husband that I was afraid of. I always told myself that if he hit me then I would leave, although, a ridiculous ultimatum on my part but it was the last thing he could ever do to me and I wouldn't allow it to happen."

Ali's fingers tightened on Ashlyn's hand as if hoping to cement the pitcher in this spot so she couldn't leave. Tears fell rapidly from Ali's eyes as her bottom lip quivered and her free hand gave up on trying to wipe her tears away.

Ashlyn was brokenhearted. Her mouth felt like there was cotton stuffed from her throat and up. She didn't know what to say, she didn't even know how to respond. Never in a million years did she ever think that this could ever happen to anyone, let alone the sweet brunette in front of her. She felt like crying along side her girlfriend but she knew she had to stay strong, if not for Ali, the both of them. 

"Friends would ask me why wouldn't I leave, but I was afraid. I loved him so much but I hated the things he'd do, but then he would be that charming man I remembered marrying. Things just got so bad in our house that I needed to leave, I was going to get a divorced but he begged me to give him another chance because he was going to change, and I did." Ali choked out. "We worked to fix the problems we had in the beginning and I thought we were going to be fine. I tried to repress every single thing that he did and said to me, so that we could have a fresh start. It was going well, and he was really trying but then he started drinking again and becoming the man I was terrified of. I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't lie to myself and say that everything was fine, that he was going to get better. I couldn't be intimate with a man I let control and violate me. I couldn't live two lives and hope that the husband I came home to was the one I loved, I just couldn't do it anymore. But I was so scared."

Ali broke down into sobs and tried to release her hand from Ashlyn's but couldn't. She wanted to hide her face, her shame, and her stupidity. She wanted anything other than to relive her horrors of a marriage and the unhealthy relationship she had with her husband. 

Ashlyn kept her grip on Ali's fingers before pulling her in tightly and practically melding their bodies into one. She held Ali's head to her chest and allowed the brunette's fingers to dig into her sides as she cried into her shirt as sobs racked her body. Ashlyn never let go, she didn't plan on it and wasn't even contemplating it. If her arms could keep Ali safe, then that's where they would stay. 

"I love you Ali. I love you so much and I won't leave you. My love for you won't change nor falter." She gave Ali's forehead a lingering kiss before continuing. "Your past with Matthew doesn't define you, nor will it ever. You left the pain and the man who caused that pain in the past. You're here now and you're reclaiming your life, your happiness."

Ali nodded subtly into the pitcher's chest but the sobs still racked her body. "I should've told you earlier, I should've told you the entire truth and not hide things."

"You have nothing to apologize for Al. If anyone should be apologizing them it's me. I had no business pushing you like this, I should've let you tell me when you were ready." Ashlyn apologized and continued to kiss the crown of Ali's chocolate colored hair. She pulled Ali into her seat so that she was in her lap and they both held each other tightly. Ashlyn could feel as Ali's sobs finally lessened to the point where her body didn't shake and her tears nearly stopped. 

Ali's tear covered face burrowed into Ashlyn's neck, loving the smell that was both Ashlyn and immensely relaxing for Ali. She was finally able to loosen her grip on Ashlyn's now wet t-shirt. 

"You're the first person I've ever told this, other than telling Danica and one of my friends." Ali said ever so softly. "I never told Kyle or my mom or anyone else because I was so ashamed and scared." 

"You shouldn't be ashamed, Al. I'm here for you and so would your family and friends. I would never force you to tell them, but I think you should think about telling them. I'm sure they wouldn't judge you." Ashlyn replied. 

"They judged my mom. My dad's family called her a liar, among other things because they claimed my dad wouldn't act that way. Some people called her a terrible mother for letting someone like my dad abuse her and stay with us." Ali wiped at her nose. Ashlyn was the first ever person that she ever confided in and it was still a terrifying experience to do so but she felt an underlying sense of undeniable relief and safety. 

"No one can ever know how they'll react in situations or that they'd ever be in that kind of situation, especially with the people we love. No one has the right to judge someone, we can only try and help. But Ali, I would never judge or hurt you, never." Ashlyn spoke softly while rubbing her back. 

"Deep down I know you would never judge me, but my conscious mind never lets me rest with its forever worrying tendencies." Ali admitted, she ran her fingers over Ashlyn's thigh. 

"I'm not judging you but what made you stay? After everything he did, why did you wait 3 years?" Ashlyn asked with genuine curiosity. 

"He reminded me of my dad. I loved my dad so much and wished that I could've helped my dad with his problems but in the end no one could. I loved Matthew the same, and I thought that this time I would actually succeed in helping someone I loved. My heart couldn't take losing these people that I loved, so I rationalized the fact of them hurting me to their drinking problems. I kept telling myself that the things they did weren't their fault, at least not intentionally." Ali explained, she knew her thinking was incredibly flawed and wrong but in her heart she just wanted to help the people she loved. 

Ashlyn nodded and continued to hold her. She herself didn't agree with the way Ali did it but she could definitely understand her motives for doing it. She knew the entire ordeal had to be extremely teaching in the brunette, especially to have to experience it twice, with her father and then first hand with her own husband. But to do it all for the people she loved was truly amazing and took a lot of courage in Ashlyn's eyes. 

"I don't want to keep this from you but, everytime we slept together, I did it so much because I kept thinking about my time with Matthew where I didn't have a choice in when I wanted to be intimate with him. I thought that by initiating it with you, I had a choice. No one was forcing me or tricking me, I wasn't scared to say 'not today'. Because with you it felt so stress free." Ali admitted. "I guess I'm trying to say that it felt like I was reclaiming my sex life. I got to choose everything without pressure."

"I wish you would've told me that. I would've given you some space or anything you needed."

Ali shook her head. "It's okay. I realize now that it's not that I didn't need to do that, but I also realize that I do need some time to just digest everything. Everything's been flying by me and I feel like I haven't stopped to really comprehend it all."

"That's completely fine. Whatever works for you is completely on track with me." Ashlyn assured. They sat in their embrace in silence until Ali spoke up. 

"Kyle talked to me about taking time for myself and I agree with him." Ali said and recognized the look of sadness that flashed on it. "I'm not saying that I want to break up with you. I'm saying that I want to do it with you. I want to talk to you about these things and I'd be more than willing to talk to a professional as well. But I want you the with me."

"I'd always want to be there whenever I'm given the chance." Ashlyn spoke while stroking Ali's cheek with her thumb. 

"Have you ever wished that you could press a button and make all your pain and problems go away, anyone that ever hurt you or your loved ones just disappear, and the almost dehabilitating memories that hurt to even think about fade into nothing?"

"If there was a button like that then I would definitely welcome it." Ashlyn said with honesty. 

"Sometimes I think that we need those bad things to help us become happy, because of those bad things I've found my button." Ali raised her head to look up at the pitcher with a hand over her heart. Ashlyn's hazel eyes were quick to meet Ali's own with a raised eyebrow. "My button is you Ash."

Ashlyn leaned down and kissed her. She kissed her with anything and everything she had. Surprised when Ali's slender fingers buried themselves into her hair and kept her close. Their lips matched each other's movements like a practiced skill. Ali's fingers released Ashlyn's blonde locks from the trademark loose bun that her hair was generally kept in. They later trailed down to the button up shirt she was wearing and proceeded to unbutton them. 

It wasn't long before they removed each other's clothing and found themselves in their bedroom bringing each other to their highest peaks of pleasure and vulnerability. Words and touches of endearment were done repeatedly. They wanted to wash away the pain of remembering such awful memories. By the end, both women were spent in a wonderful and welcomed way. Not to mention the ability to fall asleep in each other's arms in the comfort of their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall can put the pitchforks down, she's not pregnant. However, yall can point it towards Matthew if you'd like ;)


	25. If I Can't Have You...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I'm trying to get into the groove of writing whole doing school work but no matter, I'll get it down soon. :)
> 
> This chapter as you can tell from the title is leading up to something bad. Just thought I'd give a heads up.

A few days after Ali's admittance to Ashlyn, everything wasn't back to normal but it was good. There were no kinds of intentional distance but Ali did seem drained everytime she came home from the attorney's office. The divorce papers were finally drafted and mailed to Matthew, they hoped he would be cooperative and just signed them, seeing as how Ali already had but only time would tell. 

The Senators, Ali included, we're currently on the team bus to the airport for a minature tournament with the Arizona Tribals, the Seattle Novas and the Montana Wild. Everyone would face each other once and the top team would take home the trophy for winning the tournament. 

"Alright ladies, you know why we're going to this tournament. Our last game was an underachievement at best and I want us to go out with bang with a win before the Thanksgiving break. Top this group and I'll be off you asses for an entire week." Andy said from the front of the bus. 

"Hallelujah! I can only hear that accent for so long before getting a migraine." Pinoe chuckled and playfully elbowed Syd who snorted but quickly put her head down when Andy's eyes narrowed at them. 

"Shut it Pinoe, before I ride the bench in the dugout."

"Yea, shut it Pinoe." Andy chuckled before addressing the players again. "I just want to give you all a heads up, you will have NO free time on this tournament. All of your energy will be on the TEAM and nothing but the team. I make myself clear?"

"Yes coach!" Everyone on the replied. 

●●●●●●

The team touched down in Arizona where the tournament was taking place. They stopped as always for a few fan interactions before saying goodbye and hopping into the travel bus to the hotel. Once the bus reached the hotel, Andy pulled Ali away to the side as the players and staff got their bags. 

"I just want you and Harris to know that this isn't too punish you two, but I need both of your focus on the game, that means being on time to practice and focusing on the game. Is that clear Ali?" Andy informed. 

"Yes Andy." Ali nodded. She knew where Andy was coming from and to be frank, she couldn't blame him. Ashlyn was late to practice because they decided to be sexual deviants, and then one could say that they lost against the Trojans because Ashlyn was caught up thinking about Ali. They needed to be professionals, and professionals don't do that, at all. 

Andy patted her shoulder before grabbing his bags and heading into the lobby. Ali did the same and received her room key, before she got up to the elevator her phone rang. 

"Hello?"

"Yes, Alexandra, it's Danica. I'm sorry to say that it looks like we'll be going straight to court instead an amicable split." Danica informed. 

Ali ran her fingers through her hair with a hard sigh. "Matthew isn't signing?"

"No. He had his attorney call me to say that he wouldn't sign. He said that you and him needed to talk before anything else happened, I of course informed him that the only way you too were going to talk was if his attorney and I are present." 

"Did he at least agree to that?" Ali pressed. 

"I'm not exactly sure, they said they'd talk it over and then call me with an answer."

"Okay that's fine. Thank you for calling me." Ali thanked before hanging up. She grabbed her bags and turned towards but it seemed as if her suitcase was stuck on something since it wouldn't move. She turned back to look and her jaw dropped.

●●●●●●

The players were all hanging out in Tobin and Alex's room with their dinner while watching a movie. Tomorrow was game day and they were trying to get this tournament over with so they could go home to their families for thanksgiving. 

"Who do we face first?" Tobin asked while laying her head on Alex's stomach. 

"Montana Wild." Hope replied around her pasta. "Everyone knows they're pretty easy but hey they want to generate money for their new team."

"Should we give them a mercy win?" Alex chimed in. 

"Hell no, unless our pitcher here wants to play batting practice with them?" Pinoe said with a playful look and poke to Ashlyn's side. 

Ashlyn snorted and waved Pinoe off. "And mess up my stats? No way."

"Deflate your ego Harris." Abby laughed at the pitcher.

"I'm being honest here. I get the they're a new team but they gotta hang with the big dogs if they want any chance of getting far in this league. Which means a well fought loss by the top team in the league is worth the experience." Ashlyn explained.

"And here I thought you were just a dumb blonde." Pinoe joked.

"Well at least you know you're the ugly one." Syd joined in.

"Listen up Jailbait, you better stop testing me or I'll dye your hair blonde while you sleep and then you can be ugly number 2." Pinoe threatened. 

"Damn Grumpy." Syd mumbled before turning and grabbing her empty plate. "Goodnight yall, let me go before the troll under the bridge decides to kill me."

"Did you forget who your roommate is?" Crystal chuckled. 

Syd playfully rolled her eyes. "Believe me when I say I couldn't. Pinoe you have 10 minutes to calm your tits or you're sleeping outside."

"Love you too boo boo." Pinoe laughed and grabbed her own trash. "Peace out guys."

"Yea, I should head out as well before Andy chews us out." Ashlyn added as she followed suit with others by grabbing her trash and heading out back to her room. Whitney was already laying in bed with her book and pyjamas. 

"You guys finished trying to stay up past curfew?" Whitney joked as she shut her book. 

Ashlyn waved her off and got dressed for bed before climbing in her own bed. "Yup, what can we say, we like bending the rules."

Whitney nodded and turned to face Ashlyn from her bed. "You never did tell me how your talk with Ali went, and seeing as how you two haven't interacted since we landed in Arizona, I can't help but think something went wrong."

"What, no? We're fine. She just told me some things that happen to both her and her mother. She uh said that he forced himself on her not to long after they got married, and he would guilt trip her into thinking he was right. He'd talk down on her and make her feel like everything was her fault. Basically, he's a manipulative son of a bitch. She only stayed because of events in her past with her parents, she wanted to help the husband she loved since she couldn't help her father." Ashlyn explained to her best friend. Just thinking about what Matthew did to Ali still put a disgusting taste in her mouth and made her blood boil, but it was the past and Ashlyn would never dwell in it, especially when Ali wanted to move on.

"Oh wow, that's horrible." Whitney said in a soft spoken voice but with apologizing eyes. "Did he ever... hit her or get violent with her?"

Ashlyn propped herself up on her elbow and shook her head. "I wish I could say he hasn't, but he has. One time he grabbed her so hard, he left a bruise on her wrist. But he was really close to hurting her that night I left the club early. He got so mad about the fact that she was coming to meet us. When I got there, he was yelling and pounding on the door in such a menacing way. I didn't want to think about what would happen if he got into that bathroom."

"I can honestly say that I had no idea that she was going through any of this. I feel bad for being able to be there for here in any way." Whitney sighed.

"No one had a clue, I didn't know until I saw the bruise on her wrist. She told me it felt like she was living two lives, one where she's happy with the team and the other is when she's practically miserable at home with her soon to be ex-husband." Ashlyn stated.

They're silent for a little while, letting the newly said information settle, mainly for Whitney than Ashlyn. 

"You have been there for her, you know."

Whitney raised in complete confusion. "How? I've been in the dark for basically the entire time. I haven't done anything for her other than give you two condescending looks at first, then words of encouragement when I was sure that you two were actually serious in your endeavors. I've been a shit friend to the both of you."

"No you haven't, Whit. You've treated her the same, even after you caught us kissing in Boston. You've always made sure that I knew that you had my back, and that I could always come to you to talk. You're the reason why I'm able to be there for Ali, Whit. You've done more than you know." Ashlyn admitted before laying her head back on the pillow. 

Whitney smiled subtly and pulled the blankets up to her neck. "Goodnight Ash."

"Night Whit." Ashlyn said before texting a little goodnight message to Ali and rolling over to sleep.


	26. ...Then No One Can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now this is where things get dark. I see the comments of "don't hurt Ali" but I did say things would get dark sooner or later, and without this the story is at a standstill. This story's plot is actually based off someone very close to me and with their permission of course, I'm posting it with some changes.
> 
> Now there is a warning over this chapter, there is attempted rape. I will section the area so that as you read, you'll be able to tell and choose to read or skip. That being said, here is the the next chapter.

The team drove down to the training facility that was provided to them. They were playing the Montana Wild pretty early so the team trainer definitely wanted to hit some weights, cardio and real time practice before then. 

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Ali this morning?" Marcus, their trainer asked some of the players as he looked around for her. Most of the players said no since for this trip players roomed with players and the staff with staff. 

The gym and field session went on uninterrupted. Ashlyn could see one of the assistants, who she recognized as Ali's assistant, talking rather animatedly to Andy who donned a worried face. 

Ashlyn didn't interrupt them because it seemed serious, but at the same time she felt a bit uneasy since she woke up with no reply from Ali. Part of her was trying hard to keep calm and level headed, while the other side had her brain racing a mile a minute. She wanted to go over there and asked what happened herself, to give her mind a simple reprieve when she hears it has nothing to do with Ali. 

As she walked over to Andy, they made eye contact before he dismissed the assistant that Ashlyn was sure was Ali's roommate. "Hey Andy, what's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about. Head on into recovery and get ready to board the bus for the game." Andy stated before walking off in pursuit of that same assistant. 

Ashlyn shook her head, she'd hoped to ease her mind, but now her worries were even higher than before. Nonetheless, she did recovery with the trainers and players before boarding the bus and taking a seat by Whit when she didn't see Ali on the bus, despite herself being one of the last to board. 

"You okay?" Whitney asked. 

Ashlyn gave an unconvincing nod and laid her head on the head rest. "I want to say yes but I'm legitimately worried right now. I think Ali is missing or something, I'm not sure."

"You haven't heard from her or anything?" 

"No, she always answers my texts, Whit. If something happened to her...Whit I don't know how in gonna deal with that." Assign said in a tone that sounded so hopeless that Whit pulled her into a hard hug.

"Don't think like that. She might be sick so she's been staying inside her room, or maybe a family emergency popped up and she had to leave early." Whitney explained. Her best friend looked like she was beginning the grieving process already by how hopeless she sounded and Whitney couldn't bear it. Whether if her words were the truth or not, she wanted to be able to give Ashlyn a piece of mind. 

"She's okay, Ash."

Ashlyn nodded into her shoulder with a deep sigh and stayed there for the rest of the bus ride. 

●●●●●●

The game against Montana was an effortless win for the most part. However, Ashlyn struggled, she wanted desperately to believe that Ali was okay but her mind wouldn't allow her. All throughout the game her pitches were subpar, although her subpar pitches were still pretty great, anyone that knew her could two age was distracted. Andy took her out of the game at the top of the 6th inning and threw in their second string. They won 10-0 from multiple runs by Abby, Tobin, Alex, Syd, Moe and Pinoe. A Montana Wild run was almost scored in the top of the 9th inning but was thwarted thanks to the Senator's second string pitcher catching a ball that nearly flew past her. Once the game was over, the Senators congratulated the young Montana team even though they lost. They stayed a bit longer for a few psyches pictures with the young players before stopping for quick interviews from pitch side journalists. 

●●●●●●

**Yesterday Afternoon**

Ali's jaw and heart dropped to the floor as she saw Matthew staring right at her with a hand on her luggage, effectively stopping her. Her mind went blank and left her only with questions that ensued panic in her body and straight to her core being. 

"W-why are you here? How did you even know I'd be here?" Ali babbled as she looked around for any kind of escape route she could find. 

Matthew just gave her a smile that made her tremble slightly in his midst. He crossed the space between them and hugged her tightly. "That's not how you greet your husband Alex, especially when you haven't seen him for weeks." He chastised. "I told you I'd be back."

Ali tried to pull away but his hold was tight. His hand scaled down to her wrist in what she could only describe as a death grip. He discreetly dragged her with him and her luggage out of the hotel and into a rented car he had parked outside. Anyone that saw them would have no idea that he was forcing her."

"We're going to talk about the divorce papers I received in the mail, along with your wedding ring." Matthew growled into her ear. 

"I can't talk to you without my lawyer, Matthew you know this." Ali gulped tried to move away from the vehicle but Matthew wouldn't let go. 

"Shut up and get in the fucking car." He gave her a shove to enter the car and once she relented, he entered the driver's side and took off. 

Ali watched out the window as the hotel got farther and farther away. She didn't know why she didn't just scream for help. She didn't understand why she even got in the car with him, she wanted to attribute it to the fact that she was taken by surprise. But in reality, she just didn't want to admit that he still scared her, that he still could control her with the fear he'd put in her over the years of them being together. To this day, she was still afraid of Matthew. 

The car pulled up to a motel that Ali was unfamiliar with but the look casted towards her by Matthew was motivation enough to get going. They walked into the small lobby and Matthew went to talk to the concierge. The moment his eyes were off of her, Ali pulled out her phone to snap a quick picture of the name of the motel. She was about to send it but Matthew turned around with angry eyes and their room key. He grabbed her with a tight hold and practically dragged her in the direction of the room he'd just bought. Once inside, he put the door lock and turned to her with his hand out towards her. 

Ali looked at him in confusion, she had no idea what he wanted and she didn't want to guess wrong and anger him. 

"Give me your phone." Matthew said calmly and moved his fingers for emphasis. 

Ali dug into her purse and turned the screen on, she tried to dial 9-1-1, she tried to play it off as if she was still trying to get her phone but as she was unlocking the phone screen she guessed that Matthew figured her out when she felt his palm connect to her cheek, causing her to drop her purse to ground with a pain filled yell as searing pain filled her cheek.

Matthew bent down and snatched up her purse, taking out her phone and placing it in his back pocket. "Don't fucking undermine me Alex." He pointed to the small breakfast table and the bed. "Take your pick at where you want to sit, and make it fast."

Ali kept one hand on her cheek that practically radiated heat, and used her other hand to pull herself onto the bed to sit. She couldn't believe he just hit her, never once had he done so and now that he had, it just brought her fear of him to another level. She didn't want to anger him in any way, but she was going to find a way out of the situation no matter what. She gingerly wiped away the tears that were building up in her eyes and flinched when she felt Matthew's larger hand covered her own that rested on her cheek. 

"Baby I didn't mean to hit you. You should've just listened to me. If you had then this wouldn't have happened." Matthew said in such a way it sounded as if he was cooing to her. 

Ali didn't know what to say or do, she was afraid of Matthew himself and what he could do. But if keeping silent was a way to keep his temper at bay then she was going to do so. 

"Now why did I see divorce papers and your wedding ring in a package waiting for me in the mail?" Matthew asked as he removed her hand from her own cheek so he himself could continue to stroke the cheek he had struck. When she took to long to answer he forced her head his way and growled. "Answer me."

Ali fought off the ever-growing urge to slap his hands away from her. "I'm divorcing you, Matthew. We can't be together anymore, the way you treat me is unforgivable. I thought I could help you with your drinking problems but if I had to guess it was never the drinking problems with you. This is who you really are. A man who wants complete and utter control over people, and you'll do whatever you want to get it."

Matthew dropped his hand from face and gave her a look of anger. "No, you just want a excuse to whore around and FUCK that piece of shit called a pitcher. It's not going to happen, we aren't getting dirvorced and you don't get to say that we are. I say what goes and what doesn't! If I want you to beg me then you best believe I will get you to beg me! You do what I say!"

Ali scooted away from him and shook her head. "We're getting divorced whether you like it or not! You don't have to sign anything, I'll just tell my lawyer to proceed without your cooperation. The only thing that ties me to you is our worthless marriage certificate. You are not a part of my life anymore and I don't ever want to see you again. Now give me my phone and leave me alone!" She wouldn't stand for it anymore. She may be afraid of Matthew but she was tired of bending to his will. This time he was going to understand that she is done with him ruining her life. This surge of confidence and strength was all she had right now.

"No." Matthew replied with a challenging look. 

 

**THE WARNING STARTS HERE**

 

"Fine." Ali picked up her purse and stood to leave but Matthew grabbed her wrist in tight hold, yanking her back onto the bed. "Let go!" Ali yelled as she tried to pry his fingers off of her wrist. 

"Shut up. If I can't have you then no one can." Matthew grabbed her other hand and sat on her waist, effectively holding her down under him. Ali's face paled at his words. He stared down at her with a look of anger before swooping down and kissing her hard, forcing his tounge in her mouth as she kicked and bucked to get him off of her. He was nearly pulling away when she bit down hard on his bottom lip, instantly causing it to bleed freely. He pulled back, taking both her wrists in one of his hands while the other went to touch his cut up lip. 

"HELP! SOMEBODY HEL-" Ali screamed but for the second time that night, Matthew slapped her hard, splitting her lip in the process. 

"Shut the fuck up! Do you see what you did to my lip!" Matthew growled in pure rage. The blood from his lip already stained the front of white dress shirt. He wiped the blood from his hand onto his shirt, staining it even more before grabbing at her clothes.

"Matthew stop!" Ali cried and kicked as much as she could to get free but with him on her waist, she was pinned. She never thought that she'd be in this situation. She thought that now that she was finally going through with the divorce then she'd be able to truly be happy. But as long as Matthew was here, he wouldn't allow her to. 

Matthew tore her Senator's team polo right down the middle and splayed his hand from her bra covered breasts to her toned stomach. "I missed you, you know that right? I missed being intimate with you, your body against mine, but I guess you were to busy committing infidelity to realize that, huh?" Matthew practically murmured to himself while the woman beneath him cried and begged him to stop. 

"I told you I'd have you begging me soon." Matthew said smugly before moving to sit on her thighs as he pulled her belt free and popped open the front button on her khaki pants. He used the belt to tightly hold her wrists together before looping it around the headboard. 

"Stop! Please stop!" Ali begged as her body shook with sobs. He ignored her until she slammed her leg into Matthew's groin and saw him grimace and lay his head down slowly as he tried to bring air back in his body. Ali bucked and yanked her arms at the belt to get loose before screaming for help again. "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

Matthew clamped his hand over her mouth and gave her a warning look. "Don't scream again, or I'll make you stop." He tenderly kissed her now starting to bruise cheek before slipping his fingers under her bra with a satisfied groan. "And if you keep hitting me, I'm going to make this so much worse for you. Now tell me you love me baby, tell me you love me because I love you so much Alex." He could feel her body immediately tense up, he kissed the swells of her breasts and bit down a few times as he laid open mouthed kisses over her torso. Ali's body stayed in a tensed and rigid state and she yanked her hands against the belt, hurting her wrists in the process. Matthew grew weary of trying to continue with his actions while she struggled against him but before he could rectify her actions, someone banged on the door. 

"This is the Tempe police. We were called because of a noise disturbance." A male voice sounded on the other side of the door.

Matthew grabbed some of the bedsheets and stuck some of it into Ali's mouth. She struggled against him but he raised his hand as a warning to stop. He kissed her cheek once more before mouthing "You better keep quiet". He opened the door and automatically turned on his charm. 

 

**END OF THE WARNING**

 

"How can I help you officers?"

"I'm officer Hadden and this is my partner officer Davis. We received a call because of a disturbance coming from your room." Officer Hadden explained while his eyes flickered down to the blood stains on Matthew's shirt. 

"There's no noise disturbance coming from my room, it might've been the movie I was watching, I tend to turn it way too high." Matthew lied effortlessly but the officers didn't look swayed. 

Officer Davis pointed to his shirt before asking her question. "How did that happen, if you don't mind me asking."

"I do mind actually. Look, this all seems to be a misunderstanding, and it's already late so if you'll excuse me-" Matthew turned to go back inside the room and close the door but Officer Hadden stopped him. 

"Sir how about you stay outside, the owner of the motel gave us the okay to enter the room if needed so you need to step away from the door and further outside while my partner checks the inside." 

Matthew gave them a look before he tried to slip back inside and slam the door shut but both officers pulled him down, and Officer Hadden took over restraining him. 

"Davis, go inside and check it out."

Officer Davis nodded and went inside the room with her gun drawn. Her eyes went wide as they made contact with Ali tied to the headboard. She cleared the motel room before approaching Ali and removing the bedsheets from her mouth and the belt from her wrists. "Hadden! We have a possible 10-2!"

"I hear you loud and clear!" Hadden answered before reading Matthew his rights as he handcuffed him. 

"T-thank you." Ali sobbed and held onto Davis' hand as she cried.

Davis just held her as she continued to sob. She called for an ambulance as they waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read through the entire chapter, thank you. This is the darkest point of the story and won't get any darker than that. After this chapter things will be up and down.


	27. I'm Happy You're Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry guys, I was watching the game while trying to type. Needless to say it didn't work out to well, but I got the chapter done! :D

The Senators climbed up the stands to watch Arizona and Seattle play each other so they could scout the team before they face them. Most of the staff and players were still in their game clothes as they sat in an area away from fans. They were constantly being bothered but even Ashlyn noticed when Andy wandered off and yelled in his phone to be heard through the crowd noise. 

"I'll be right back." Ashlyn told Whitney before taking off in the direction of Andy. Just as she was about to get his attention, their eyes met and he held up a gesture of hold on. She waited until he finished his call. 

"You need to come with me." Andy said with no room for argument. He started speed walking towards the exit of the stadium to hail a taxi for them. 

Ashlyn nearly had to run to catch up to him. "Coach!?" She grasped him by shoulder to stop him. "What's going on? It's it about Ali?" Her voice wavering slightly at the end. The look on Andy's face told her it was but she didn't want to assume something bad happened incase it was fine. 

"Ash...it's better if you just come with." Andy spoke softly and turned to the taxi that just pulled up to the stadium curb. They entered the taxi, "Arizona State University Medical Center." He spoke and immediately felt Ashlyn tense up and look at him in confusion. He turned his attention back to his player and patted her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. 

"Ali's in the hospital-"

"What? What the hell happened?" Ashlyn bit out, she was definitely peeved at the fact that Andy probably knew that something was up, and the fact that he didn't tell her anything, pissed her off. 

"I'm not exactly sure what happened but Tempe police officers called me. They said Ali had been attacked in the middle of the night. They won't tell me anything else until I get there. I brought you along because you deserve that much respect from me and Ali asked for you." Andy explained. 

"Why didn't you say anything yesterday? You all but blew me off when I asked if something was up!?" Ashlyn was beyond angry, but among that she worried.

Andy sighed and looked out the window for a little bit before answering. "I don't know. I wanted you to be focused on the tournament, if anything happened then I would've informed you. But when you asked me this morning, all I knew was the fact that Ali didn't go to her room last night. I tried contacting her but all I got was her voice mail."

"And you didn't think that Ali not picking up her phone warranted giving me a heads up?" Ashlyn scoffed. 

"I understand your anger but what would you have done? Drive around a city that you have no idea where anything is?! I'm not going to let you do that!" Andy stated. He was responsible for these women and he might not have made the right decisions leading up to this point, but he knew damn well that nothing he told Ashlyn would've made things better. 

Ashlyn bit back her response and relaxed back into leather seats. Her coach was right, even if he told her, she didn't know what she'd do. But to hear Ali was in the hospital was enough to put her in a state of anxiety she couldn't beat. She felt her coach grip the top of her hand and she couldn't thank him enough for that gesture. 

●●●●●

"Okay Mrs.Evans-"

"It's Ms.Krieger, Evans is my soon to be ex-husband's surname." Ali politely corrected. Once she finally divorced that sack of crap known as her legal husband, she'd be freed from having any kind of relation to that man. 

The female doctor lowered her head in embarrassment, "Sorry Ms.Krieger, that was my mistake. I have good news and bad news, so which would you like to hear?"

"Bad news."

"Well the the officers that brought you in are going to question you again, they want to make sure that they have all the facts straight. Good news is, you have a visitor. We could barely stop her from barreling in here." Dr.Woodborrough informed.

"Well, thank you for everything." Ali said earnestly. 

"It was my pleasure." Dr.Woodborrough smiled and turned to leave. The door never closed fully before it opened again to reveal Ali's favorite pitcher in the world. She jumped up from the hospital bed, not giving a care about the ugly hospital gown she was currently wearing and leaped into the pitcher's arms, wrapping her arms around her neck. She relished in the heat and scent of the pitcher's body, she didn't know how much she could miss the woman that was presently in her arms. 

"I'm so happy to see you." Ali whispered while holding onto Ashlyn as tight as she could, fearful that this was a dream and she'd wake up back under Matthew. 

Ashlyn pulled back and kissed her hard causing Ali to pull back quickly with a sharp hiss of pain. Ashlyn's eyes flew open at the sound and went wide as she took in Ali's face. 

"Al, what did...who did this to you?" Ashlyn whispered. She didn't trust her voice as her fingers moved lightly over the deep purple bruise on her left cheek and the split in her bottom lip. 

Ali's eyes closed at the Ashlyn's touch, "Matthew came, I don't know how he found me but he said he wanted to talk and only then would he sign the divorce papers. This is all my fault, if I just refused or said no then I wouldn't-"

Ali was cut off by Ashlyn pressing soft lips to her own in such a gentle matter it didn't hurt to be embraced.

"Don't talk like that. None of this is your fault, no one knew that this could or would happen." Ashlyn said with a caring tone while stroking her hair. "He's going away for good, he won't be able to hurt you anymore."

Ali gave a subtle nod, "I'm just glad you're here."

Ashlyn chuckled softly and brought Ali's hands up to her lips. Her eyes saw the bruises and restraint marks that coated both wrists, her anger flared up but went down pretty quickly when she realized that anger would do nothing to help in this situation. She needed to be there for her girlfriend. Matthew didn't deserve any kind of her attention. She moved her lips up to kiss the marks on Ali's wrists. 

"I love you Ali, and I'm gonna take care of you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, but I will never leave your side, I can promise you that." Ashlyn vowed, she loved Ali more than she knew sometimes. 

"I love you too." Ali smiled, laying her head on the pitcher's chest. "They said I can be discharged today after the police come back to ask some more questions. If you want you can stay during it."

"Of course I'll stay." Ashlyn kissed her again and brought out the hospital store bag. "The nurses told me to get you some clothes before I came up. I know this place is chilly but their sweater selection pretty much sucked, so..." Ashlyn pulled back and lifted off her own team hoodie. "I'm gonna give you mine. It's a little stinky, I really didn't get to shower after the game but-"

Ali kissed her lightly, "It's great, as long as it smells like you I'm happy."

"That's fine with me, you want me to leave while you get dressed?" Ashlyn asked, even though they'd seen each naked before, Ashlyn knew Ali was most likely vulnerable in this moment, so if she could in any way make Ali comfortable then she was going to do it. 

"Can you just turn around?" Ali asked almost timidly. She loved Ashlyn but she didn't want her to see the extent of the marks Matt left on her body. Ashlyn merely nodded with a smile and turned to face the wall while Ali got dressed. Once she was finished, Ashlyn went out to get the police officers that were waiting for them. Ashlyn thanked both and gave each a firm handshake to express her gratitude. She led them back into the room and took the rolling seat by Ali's side, interlacing their hands in Ali's lap. 

"I promise this is the last time you're gonna have to deal with us." Officer Hadden chuckled, knowing that Ali most likely wanted to just go home at this point. "Officer Davis and I would just like to make sure that we got the story correct. We've already talked to Matthew, he told us his version of what transpired yesterday but we'd like to go over yours again. So can you explain to us again what happened?"

Ali nodded. "I had just got to the hotel with the team." Ali pointed to Ashlyn. 

"She works for the women's baseball team in Maryland, the Senators." Ashlyn explained briefly.

Both officers wrote something down in their notepad before urging Ali to continue.

"I was on the phone with my divorce attorney about why Matthew wasn't cooperating with us. After I hung up, he stopped me in the lobby telling me to come with him so we could talk about the divorce. I thought if I went with him then he'd sign the papers and leave me alone. But he took me to some motel and threatened me to go inside. When we got inside, it was clear that he didn't want to talk, he just wanted me over there. I tried to call for help on my phone but he found out and slapped me. I just got so mad and told him I was leaving whether he liked it or not. He pulled me back onto the bed, held me down and tried to kiss me but I bit his lip, screamed for help and he slapped me again. I begged him to stop but he wouldn't, he tore my shirt off, took off my belt and used it to restrain my arms up to the headboard. He kept touching me until you guys knocked, then he put the blankets in my mouth, threatening me not to make a sound.I thought he was going to kill me, the way he was talking to me was like he was insane. I thought...." Ali informed, she quickly and roughly wiped away the tears that spilled onto the sweatpants and down her face as she started getting choked up. She wanted nothing more than to rid herself of Matthew but having to detail your near rape by your current spouse, although, soon to be ex-husband was shame on another level. Even though it wasn't her fault, she was embarrassed. 

Ashlyn squeezed Ali's hand and kissed the top of it, and rubbing it with her thumb. She had no idea that this was what had happened, she was in a whirlwind of emotions ranging from furious to comforting to poignancy. But she knew all that Ali needed from right now was just to be there for her. Although all of that happened to Ali right under her nose, Ashlyn was just thanking anything and everything that she's here and safe. So she stood up and climbed up on the bed and pulled Ali into her, holding her from behind and kissed the crown of her head. She could feel Ali tense up at first and then for a while longer but then melted into her touch. 

"You're okay baby, you're okay." Ashlyn whispered softly. 

Ali nodded slowly and face the two police officers that practically saved her life. 

"Thank you Ms.Krieger, Matthew Evans told us that he found out where you were and what hotel you were staying at because of the fact he knew you email password. I guess your bosses sent you the travel details to your email and he saw it. I would suggest changing you email password quickly, and any other accounts you might have." Officer Hadden explained, both him and Officer Davis stood from the seats they sat on shook both Ashlyn's and Ali's hand. "That's all we need for now, I'm sure we'll nail this guy, he doesn't have a chance in the world to walk free."

Both officers exited before Andy knocked and came inside. 

"Hey Ali. I'm so glad you're okay, I don't know what any of us would do if you weren't." Andy spoke. 

"Does the team know about this?" Ali asked with trepidation. 

"No, they'll only know if you want them to." Andy reassured. "I know that this is probably one of the least of your worries but do you want me to send you back home or do you want to stay with the team? I'd like to make you as comfortable as I possibly can."

Ali fiddled with Ashlyn's fingers while her question vibrated through her head. She didn't know why she thought it was such a big request but in her state at the moment everything could be something small but mean so much to her. "I know you wanted the players to room with players, but can I room with Ashlyn?"

"Of course you can." Andy nodded. "I have a car out front for us to take us back to the hotel. I'll have a new room ready for you two by the time we get back."

"That's great, thanks Andy." Ashlyn thanked and grabbed Ali's belongings before taking her hand and leading them to where Ali could get discharged.

●●●●●●

Since they didn't have anything to do other than recovery and watch game film, Andy gave everyone the rest of the day off. Most of the girls were spending their day off calling family or hanging out at some tourist spot. However, Ashlyn and Ali spent it in the comfort of each other. 

Ashlyn tended to the cuts and bruises all around Ali's wrists, her split lip, cheek bruise and a couple of bite marks on her torso where the skin was barely broken and broken in some places. She tried to work as meticulously as the nurse showed her at the hospital, so she didn't hurt Ali. Despite the situation, Ali found everything comforting in the sense that it felt absolutely normal to be vulnerable and bare herself to Ashlyn. This was the person she loved and it didn't take a community to tell her. 

"You want to shower before we go to bed?" Ashlyn asked as she gathered the medical supplies and put them away. 

Ali pulled herself under the bedsheets and shook her head. "No, I showered after I was treated at the hospital." Ali waited until Ashlyn got into bed to lay her head on her chest with one of her arms splayed across her torso. "Since Thanksgiving is coming up, shouldn't we make plans or something?"

"Isn't that fast? Since this happened, don't you want some down time or something?" Ashlyn pondered.

Ali shook her head no. "If I have time to myself I'll end up feeling sorry for myself, and I don't want to. I want to go back to my normal life before this."

"That makes sense. I was thinking what if we spend it with my family down in Florida. My grandma would love to meet you. They're super welcoming, I'm sure they'll love you."

"That sounds good to me." Ali agreed. She didn't want to admit the fact that she didn't think she could spend the holidays alone without Ashlyn there with her. Heck, now she hardly felt safe without thinking that Matthew will pop back up and finally succeed in ruining her. She needed Ashlyn more than anyone knew, however, she didn't want Ashlyn to become her crutch because it would only complicate things in the long run. 

She felt soft lips on her forehead which stirred her from her rampant thoughts. 

"Go to sleep babe, I have practice in the morning but I want you to fall asleep first. I want to make sure you're comfortable." Ashlyn stated and laid her head atop Ali's. Ali gave a small nod before snuggling in as close as she could before falling asleep in Ashlyn's arms.


	28. It's My Fault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School eats up soooo much time :P

The today was going to be strengthening day and full body practice right before heading into the next game. Andy wanted to proceed as normal on Ali's behalf. He was surprised to see Ali down at breakfast with the other staff members before the players came down. Andy remembered the bruises from yesterday that covered her body, but today he didn't see a shade of purple on her skin. He guessed that was the wonders of makeup. 

"Hey Ali." Andy said, making himself known as he approached her. 

Ali smiled, placed her plate on the table and hugged the Aussie. "Thank you so much for yesterday. I couldn't ask for more. And thank you for acting normal, I will however tell a few of the players some details but other than that I'll address the rest at a later time."

"Take as much time as you want, there's no rush."

"Bitches, I'm here!" Pinoe said with the biggest diva voice she could muster. "And I got my main chick." She pointed to Syd who just rolled her eyes at her roommate. 

"You are stupid." Syd chuckled before going straight towards the food table. 

"Fatass. Hey Aliroo, we didn't see you all day, where were you?"

Ali didn't want to lie to her but she just wasn't ready to talk about it. She wanted to say this on her own terms when she's ready to. 

"I had an emergency that I needed to take care of, don't worry about it." Ali said with a smile. "You should worry about how I'm going to work you guys ragged this morning."

Pinoe's smiled dropped as she went towards the breakfast table. "Any chance you and Marcus can take it easy on us?"

"Not a chance. Besides, I can already see some dough on your sides." Ali teased while filling up her coffee cup. "Fill up on good foods, you're gonna need it."

"I didn't see leave this morning." Ashlyn said quietly as she sidled up next to her and grabbed a cup of coffee along with her plate of breakfast. 

Ali jumped a little but quickly fixed herself before pouring cream into her coffee. "I uh... I woke up early and remembered that I needed to help Marcus set up for today."

"Maybe it's better if you just go back to my place Al. There's no need for you to be working especially after what just happened. We could say something popped up and you had to go but I think you just need some time you know?" Ashlyn said softly. She knew Ali said that she didn't want to dwell on things but Ashlyn thought this was an exception to be able to go back home and be with family. Not help them train in the same city she was assaulted in. 

"I don't need to go anywhere, I thought I made that clear. I'm okay Ashlyn. I need to be around you guys, I feel safe around you all, I'm happy near you all." Ali smiled softly before taking her cup and heading over to the table where the staff were seated. 

"Al-..." Ashlyn sighed and watched her walk away. Thoughts were running rampart in her head, they had been ever since Andy told her that Ali was in the hospital. All Ashlyn wanted to do was come a way that Ali could be safe, especially when it all felt like it was her fault. 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn pushed the heavy weight up and down as she continued to bench press. At any chance she got she was watching Ali, it didn't matter if Ali caught her more than a few times or if friends did. She just had to make sure that Ali was actually okay.

"Alright ladies our next opponent is Seattle and we need to be in top of our game. Montana was fish food, Seattle aren't crazy great but they'll get you if you're not prepared. So I need everyone to focus and stay sharp. Ali has your recovery plans, follow them before we go to face Seattle in the evening." Marcus barked before going off to continue helping others. 

Pinoe stood in front of the mirrored wall that surrounded the weights. "I tell ya, I love baseball. Hell I breathe and live it. But damn I just want to stuff my face with some turkey and mashed potatoes-"

"Oooh stop." Hope groaned as she placed the dumbells on the rack rather heavily. "If I don't think about all the food I will get to eat then I'll be able to get through this damn tournament."

Syd, Abby and Crystal all nodded in agreement. 

"You know my family are going to try deep frying our entire turkey." Crystal spoke as she watched herself do bicep curls. 

"Always barbecue our turkey on the grill down south." Ashlyn added.

HAO's ears perked up. "That sounds delicious. We always do the typical way of turkey, it's good and everything but I'm up for some barbecue turkey."

"Imagine Thanksgiving in England. I'm going there with Dom is great and everything but if I don't get my fill of fattening foods, I just might die." Syd whined. 

"I'm okay with being a little doughy. It's worth it." Pinoe joked but quickly shut her mouth when Ali walked towards them. 

"Are you guys slacking off over here?" Ali said with a smirk. 

"No way." Pinoe said quickly and grabbed some weights. 

Ali shook her head at the team clown. "Don't worry, Marcus is about to call it. Start cleaning up and head on over to get your equipment."

The Senators cleared out of the hotel gym before lining up to get their recovery drinks and equipment. Recovery was going to be key in this tourney, with all the games compressed into one week, there were no break days. Everyone wanted to win but they all couldn't deny the fact that the game schedule sucked. 

Once everyone had their recovery items, they headed up to their rooms to get the process started. Ali helped Ashlyn turn hers on since they shared room. Ali knew something was going on in Ashlyn's head, since she all but caught Ashlyn staring at her throughout the gym session. 

"I've been meaning to tell you something." Ashlyn said while Ali turned on a compression machine on her pitching arm. 

"What is it?" Ali said in a neutral tone. 

Ashlyn sighed and took Ali's hand with her free one to gently pull Ali into a sitting position next to her. "You remember when we were at Pinoes parents sports bar?" Ali gave her a nod and lightly squeezed her hand. "Kyle never accidentally hit me."

Ali pulled back in surprise. "He actually hit you on purpose? Why would he do that?" After all the violence that ripped through their family, Ali couldn't believe that Kye would actually huey someone without in an attempt to defend himself. 

"What? No. No. Kyle didn't hit me. Matthew followed us to the sports bar and when Kyle and I went to get those extra cases of ginger ale, he was waiting for us. He was beyond disrespectful towards you and Kyle decked him. They were fighting and I tried to pull Matthew off of your brother but I took an elbow to the nose." Ashlyn explained with her eyes still casted downwards. 

"Why didn't you tell me this when it happened?" Ali said with a little frustration in voice for two reasons. 1- Ashlyn lied to her and 2- It pertained to Matthew and Ashlyn never said a word to her. 

"Kyle told me not to, but I also felt like it better if we kept it from you as well." Ashlyn admitted sadly, she expected Ali to drop her hand and avoid her for the rest of the night. 

Ali stayed silent while she formulated her next question. 

"Ali, I'm sorry. Matthew wouldn't have attacked you if Kyle and I didn't stoop to his level. If I had told you earlier, maybe what happened yesterday wouldn't have." Ashlyn choked out as her thumb rubbed lightly across Ali's wrist where the long sleeve polo shirt and makeup covered her bruises and cuts. "I'm so fucking sorry Ali. I screwed up so badly."

Ali turned her hand over and securely held Ashlyn's as she scooted as close as she could to her pitcher. She used her free hand to caress and coax Ashlyn into looking at her. 

"Baby, that was not your fault. Everything that occurred was all because of Matthew. You told me this much while we were in the hospital." Ali spoke. 

"But it was killing me inside to see you like that all because of what I did." 

"That's not it baby. He was angry because of the divorce papers that were served to him. I really thought that he lost his mind because of the way he was acting. But nothing that you or Kyle did could ever make something like that happen." Ali answered while wiping away some of the tears that fell down Ashlyn's cheeks. She forward enough to kiss the pitcher's wet eye lashes before pulling her into a hug. 

"I'm sorry Ash."

Ashlyn's hands encircled Ali's waist as her face burrowed into the dark hair of her favorite brunette. "What do you mean?" Ashlyn breathed into Ali's hair. 

"I'm always keeping you in a constant state of worry. And I feel like we've been so focused on me and the negatives that came along with me, that I have once asked you how you feel and how this is effecting you. Everything shouldn't be so one-sided." Ali admitted with some guilt. 

"I love you and I love being there for you in whatever I can. I don't feel like I have to do these things because I want to." 

"But I should be able to ask you how you're feeling from time to time7." Ali explained. "I know it's a bit ironic that I'm talking about communicating with you more when I hardly do so before hand but I feel like I don't appreciate you enough. Like I should be able to talk to you more and open up to you more without waiting for the problem to reach the brim."

"I absolutely like the idea of being more open and communicating our feelings with each other." Ashlyn nodded into her shoulder. She could definitely attest to wanting Ali to be able to just talk to get about the hard things things that went on in her relationship with Matthew. Ashlyn knew those things would be hard to talk about but she wanted Ali to want to confide in her. 

The beeping noise on the compression machine sounded through the room. Ali gently eased out of their embrace and disconnected the machine. She ran her hands down soft material of Ashlyn's fleece pants.

"We should hurry and get ready, you have a game to win." Ali smiled gently before pressing her lips to the pitcher's. 

Ashlyn reached up and held her face there for a while longer. Moving their lips in the slow kiss that had them both practically intoxicated. They slowly broke away when they heard the other players making incredibly loud noise in the hallways while singing Senators chants. 

"Let's go kick some ass." Ashlyn smiled. Pecking Ali's lips gently and helping them both to stand and change before going out of the room and down to the bus.


	29. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No class Friday, which means I had time to work on another chapter! :D

The Senators as expected won the tournament, ending November with a small tourney championship. Ali had decided that she did not want to inform the team on what happened, and both Ashlyn and Andy supported it. The Tempe police told both Ali and Ashlyn that Matthew was going to be eligible for bail despite the evidence they had, the city prosecutors did informed them that they were still going ahead with the charges and if they needed to hand over the case to the Maryland police since Matthew lived there, then they would. It was nearly the news both Ali and Ashlyn wanted to hear pertaining to Matthew but it was good news nonetheless. 

The couple stood in the Melbourne International Airport waiting for their bags to come on the conveyor belt. They tried to keep a low profile since this was Ashlyn's home state, and going by the bigger than lifesized airport posters of Ashlyn, Ali would guess that Ashlyn is practically a hero around here. 

Once they got their bags, Ashlyn carrying most of the luggage, they headed for where the all the airport shuttles were. One person was able to recognize Ashlyn, despite the Hurley cap and sunglass that was originally thought to hide her identity. Ashlyn stopped for a little bit to give the teenage girl a picture and autograph, but not too long after did a swarm of all ages and genders flock over asking for anything they could get from the star pitcher. 

Ashlyn tried her best to give them what they wanted but the crowd was becoming too much for her to handle, so she linked hands with Ali and guided them out to the front and into a free shuttle. 

"Holy shit that was crazy." Ashlyn said with a semi-chuckle before telling the driver where to go. 

"I think that's how I'll feel when I meet your family." Ali stated. 

Ashlyn pulled her close with an arm around her shoulder and used her free hand to tilt Ali's head up to press a soft kiss to her lips. Ali's lip was practically healed, along with the cuts and bruises on her wrists and cheek. She smoothed her thumb over the soft skin of Ali's cheek and kissed her harder with an obvious amount of love within it. 

They broke apart with Ali making a soft sigh and her eyes still closed from the embrace. 

"They're going to love you just as much as I do." Ashlyn spoke honestly. 

Ali gave a small nod and slipped her hand into Ashlyn's. "I love you."

The shuttle pulled up to a quaint home that exuded an intense comfort quality to it. It was almost as if this was your childhood home and you were coming back. It was like Ali could imagine a happy childhood in this place. Only now she was faced with the smells of cookies and fudge brownies along with the crisp saltwater air despite the night sky. The home was peaceful, it felt like a certain quality of what Ashlyn meant to Ali, it was a place that Ali already deemed as safe. 

Ali felt a small tug on her fingers as Ashlyn got her attention and pointed towards the front door. Despite Ashlyn's encouragement in the shuttle, Ali still couldn't help but feel anxious and nervous about what lay inside the home that she was currently walking towards. Once her feet were crossing the old fashioned, worn out cobblestone like walkway, and up the porch steps, Ali couldn't help but start breathing hard. Sure she'd met the parents of other significant others that she'd dated before, but this is the first one after being away from Matthew. This would be the first time that she has a fresh start with people that didn't know her past, and Ali wanted them to like her, love her even. However, she feared that she'd come off as timid, afraid and broken. 

Ashlyn tightened her fingers around Ali's and kissed her forehead. "Baby, don't sweat this. My family is going to love you. I've told them a little about you-" 

Panic flashed over Ali's eyes as she registered Ashlyn's words. "Wha...Why would you do that?"

"Calm down Al." Ashlyn whispered calmly as she gave her a tight hug. "I told them that you are a woman that captured my heart early on in our relationship. And that we were coming down to visit. It's going to be alright, I promise. But in the event that it's not, tell me whatever you want that will make you feel better and we'll do it, no questions asked."

"Okay...okay. I guess I'm overreacting."

"You're not, you're just worried but I'm here to let you know that you won't have to."

Ali ran her hands through her hair with a soft nod, "You're right. Let's get this over with so I can stop acting like a maniac."

"You're a cute maniac." Ashlyn winked and knocked. It was barely two seconds before the light blue door swung open to reveal a burly man that looked to be a male version of Ashlyn. He quickly swooped down and picked Ashlyn up in an inescapable bear hug. 

"Dude! It's been so freaking long since we've seen you! Why didn't you say you were coming down for Thanksgiving?" The burly man asked. 

Ashlyn patted his chest and moved backwards to hug Ali around the waist. "I told Gram This is my absolutely wonderful and beautiful girlfriend, Ali. Ali this is Chris and Chris this is Ali."

"It's nice to meet you, Chris. Ash hasn't told me much about you guys other than the fact that she loves you all dearly." Ali smiled. 

Ashlyn leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "Not as much as I love you."

"Holy shit..." Chris mumbed to himself. "Mom, Pa, Gram! You won't believe that Ash has a girlfriend!" He yelled into the open home. He wrapped his arms around the both of them and led them inside, only to have a big English bulldog ram into their knees. 

Ashlyn kneeled down and petted the big dog as it licked her face. "Aww boy, I'm so glad to see you too." She gave him another good rubdown before standing back up with an arm around Ali's waist. "Al, this is Rocky, we've had him since we were in high school."

"Well he is definitely a cutie despite all of the slobbering." Ali chuckled and patted Rocky's head. 

They walked into the kitchen where the smells of cookies and brownies intensified, and the rest of the family were. 

"Well who is this?" Tammye smiled as they came into the kitchen. 

"Mom, Dad, Gram, this is my girlfriend Ali. We've been dating for nearly a month so I brought her along for Thanksgiving with you guys." Ashlyn said with an immense gotten on her face while holding Ali close.

"And here I thought my little girl, that's this huge superstar would never find someone." Tammye joked. 

"Isn't that right? We all thought you were married to the game of baseball." Mike added as he swiped a brownie from the pan. 

"Aww c'mon, Chris is still single. Cut me some slack." Ashlyn joked back and playfully punched Chris' shoulder. 

"Oh stop it." Grandma Harris lightly chastised before coming over to give Ali a super welcoming hug. "Apparently my family doesn't know how to welcome someone. I'm Ashlyn's grandmother, by you can just call me Gram."

Ali quickly returned the embrace. "I would to love to."

"Great. Now I know it's late but there's still some dinner left in the oven, you two can help yourselves to it and we'll talk and get to know each other more in the morning." Grandma Harris stated before kissing both Ali and Ashlyn on the cheeks and going upstairs to sleep. The rest of the family did the same and left the couple in the kitchen.

Ashlyn lifted Ali up onto the counter and held both of her hands. "Sooo what do you think?"

"I think they're very welcoming." Ali replied and leaned in to join their lips. "I like them. However, I think I'll be grilled in the morning over breakfast."

"Did you forget that your Green Giant is here to protect you?" Ashlyn mumbled lovingly on Ali's soft lips before deepening it noticeably. 

Ali pulled away with a chuckle, "No, I didn't forget but we're not having sex on your family's counter. That's wrong on so many levels." She hopped down from the counter and turned towards the stairway. "So which is the way to your bedroom?"

"You don't want dinner?" Ashlyn asked as she picked up their luggage. 

Ali shook her head. "I just really want to sleep for tonight, if that's okay?"

"Yea sure." Ashlyn lead Ali up the stairs and to her old childhood bedroom. The room was covered in medals, trophies, certificates and pictures all commemorating Ashlyn's success in baseball all throughout her life before making it on the professional level. There was a queen sized bed in the middle of the room, three dressers, a seat installed by the window and an open closet that contained clothes on hangers, shoes, tubs of baseball bats and mitts, and a sack of baseballs. The room looked like a successful athlete's childhood bedroom. 

"Well isn't this cozy." Ali commented as she plopped down onto the comforters, spreading her fingers across the soft fabric. 

"I tell ya, imagine leaving this place to play in another state." Ashlyn said as she walked around to put their bags in the space inside the closet. "I was heartbroken, but in the grand scheme of things, if I didn't leave I wouldn't have met you." Ashlyn came from behind to kiss Ali's shoulder, causing her to jump at her touch. 

"You okay?" Ashlyn asked with concern and moved her hand down to Ali's side. 

Ali nodded quickly so as to not raise any suspicion. "Yes, you just surprised me that's all."

"Okay, we'll you can go ahead and shower, I'm gonna eat something real quick and come join you." Ashlyn said as she grabbed her phone and headed back down to the kitchen. 

Ali took a long hot shower despite the warm Florida weather. She changed into some panties and a large shirt that stopped a little higher than mid-thigh. She guessed that Ashlyn was still eating since she was alone in the room. So she went ahead and hopped into the warm bed and dozed off. 

●●●●●●

Ali woke up to strong arms around her torso that felt as if they were holding her way too tight and hot breath on the nape of her neck. She rolled around to face her pitcher but was met with the smug face of her ex-husband. She tried to move back but his arms wouldn't allow her to even gain an inch of space. She tried screaming for help but no voice came out from her mouth. 

"You can't run away from me Alex. We're husband and wife and we're going to stay together whether you like it or not. You're going to love me and care for me just as much as I do for you." Matthew stated as if it was the law of the land.

Ali still couldn't get out of the constricting grip that were his arms. She slammed her hands into his chest, willing him to let go and for her voice to come through but it was all to no avail. She couldn't get free. 

Matthew used both of his hands to hold her wrists down near her head and smiled down at her. 

"Stop fighting Ali." He sneered. "I'm gonna finish what we started in Arizona and you're gonna thank me for it, because this is what wife's do for their husbands when they love them."

Ali's heart all but dropped to her stomach. She knew she'd never be safe from her ex-husband. No matter where she went, who she was with, or the legal action she took, he would always find her and get what he wanted. Ali didn't want him to touch her or even try anything with her, so she bucked her body, tossing around and kicking her legs to get him off of her. 

"Alex! Alex stop! ALI!"

Ali could hear Matthew's menacing voice fade away while Ashlyn's concerned voice came into focus. She also heard her own voice loud and clear as she wailed for help. Her eyes flew open to see Ashlyn holding her arms near her head so she couldn't hit her, but she already saw the long nail scratch that was present on Ashlyn's cheek. 

Ashlyn's eyes were filled with complete worry as she calmly and gently tried to rouse Ali from her apparent nightmare. "Hey baby, it's me Ashlyn. Just calm down, you're okay babe, you're okay."

Ali's ears flooded with the sound that was her heavy and fast paced breathing. She felt Ashlyn's hand fall from her wrists to gently caress her face and look into her eyes to make sure she was fine.

"Ash?" Ali said in such a small voice, she couldn't even believe it was her own. 

"Yea baby it's me." Ashlyn nodded. 

"Did I do this to you?"

Ashlyn kissed her forehead but remained in her line of sight. "You were having a nightmare, baby."

A light knock sounded on the door but made Ali yelp and jump nonetheless. Ashlyn was quick to pull her into her arms and bury her face into her hair. 

"Are you guys okay in there?" Mike asked with a worried tone. 

"Yea, dad we're fine, just a nightmare." Ashlyn called out. 

"Okay, you two call me if there's anything I can do to help." Mike informed before heading back to his bedroom. 

Ashlyn turned her attention back to Ali, her breathing was back to normal but her forehead was covered with sweat. She began to slip from the bed but Ali's hand came to grip her wrist.

"Please don't go. Please." Ali begged with tears already in her eyes. 

Ashlyn returned to her spot next to her girlfriend and placed an arm around her torso. "Baby what's wrong?"

"You're gonna think I have too many problems if I tell you, you're not going to want me anymore." Ali sniffled into her shirt. 

Ashlyn moved Ali's head up to look at her. "Listen to me, I love you Al, and no matter what you tell me is going to drive me away. I want you to be happy and feel safe around me, I hate when you're scared."

Ali nodded in understanding. "I've been having nightmares."

Ashlyn brushed some of Ali's now wet hair from her forehead. "For how long?"

"Since you got me from the hospital. I keep dreaming that Matthew is back and he's there to hurt me. No matter where I go I feel as if he's right around the corner. I feel like if I become too happy or content, he'll come out of no where and crush everything." Ali spoke, her voice wavering heavily throughout. "I didn't think he could hurt me once I filed for divorce but he did. Who's to say he won't come back and do it again? I can't let my guard down, I can't relax without him poisoning my thoughts. I can't even sleep without him tormenting me! I'm not safe! I'll never be safe!" She broke down in the pitcher's arms. 

"You are safe Ali, he can't hurt you anymore, I promise." Ashlyn stated in an attempt to calm her down and reassure her. 

"No I'm not, and it's my fault. I messed up by marrying Matthew, I messed up by even dating him against my better judgement. I just got so caught up in the lies of his love and trying to help, and now I've fallen so damn low that I don't think I can get up." Ali fought back in such a defeated tone it broke Ashlyn's heart. "I feel like I've lost everything of who I am."

"Don't say that Ali, don't. I'm here for you, my family, Kyle, your mom, your friends and the team are all here for you. Even if they don't know what's going on, they all will be there for you." Ashlyn wiped Ali's tears away. She'd never heard Ali this defeated before in all her time of knowing her. She wanted to do everything that was humanly in her power to protect the woman next to her. She wanted to give her a worry free life. She wanted Ali to feel like herself again. 

"You can't say that because you don't know if it's true." Ali said with a head shake. 

"I do know. And deep down you know too. No matter how low you fall, someone that loves you will be there to pick you back up. If you feel like you're losing yourself, find anyone that loves you and they'll remind you of the beautiful and lively person you are. We are here for you Al, and no matter what we will always love you. I will always love you."

Ashlyn didn't even realize that she herself had been crying until her tears hit against the tops of her hands as she stroked Ali's cheeks. She leaned down to kiss her hard and passionately, but tenderly at the same time. 

"I love you, and we're going to be okay." Ashlyn whispered on Ali's lips. 

Ali gripped her shirt between her fingers to keep Ashlyn near her as their lips danced against each others. Ashlyn moved between Ali's thighs and kissed her deeper, pushing her tounge into the brunette's mouth but allowing her to take full control of the kiss. Ashlyn wasn't in any way attempting to make love to her girlfriend, she loved more than anything to be next to the woman she loved and she knew that Ali loved the heat she radiated. A deep moan rumbled from Ashlyn's lips as Ali's hands timidly roamed each part of her body, slipping under her t-shirt and shorts. Ashlyn knew that Ali was only trying to tell her mind that this body over her wasn't her ex-husband, the warmth that radiated from the body over her own was from a woman that loved her dearly. 

Ali's hands finally came to rest on the warm skin of Ashlyn's lower back. She sighed in content and kissed Ashlyn slowly, bringing their intimate moment to halt. 

"I believe you. I trust you, and I love you." Ali whispered with conviction. 

Ashlyn nodded and buried her face into the crook of Ali's neck. She let down her full weight on top of Ali and held her tight. "I love you so much Al. I want you to know that you can talk to me, whatever it may be, I'll be here for you, everyone will."

"I will." Ali welcomed Ashlyn's weight and warmth as they both fell to a peaceful slumber.


	30. Thanksgiving Harris Style

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new month everyone! I hope your days are going well :D

Ashlyn wrapped her arms around an unsuspecting Ali who was brushing her teeth. Ali jumped in surprise and also at the thought of her ex-husband, but quickly covered Ashlyn's hands with one of her own to slowly calm down. Ashlyn leaned down to kiss her cheek and watch her as she brushed her teeth.

"How are you feeling?" Ashlyn mumbled into the side of her neck as she swept her hair to the side. 

Ali leaned into her pitcher before moving over the sink to spit and rinse her mouth. She placed her toothbrush back in the holder and turned in her arms. "I'm okay, but I don't want to automatically tell you that everything is okay. I'm working through it one step at a time but I'm glad you're here with me."

"Always baby, always." Ashlyn kissed her gently. She chuckled slightly when Ali's fingers curled under her shirt to trace her abs. "Mmm, we have to go down for breakfast or else Gram will have our asses. Then we'll start helping with Thanksgiving dinner."

"Sounds good to me." 

The both went down for breakfast and said good morning to each family member at the table. Mike didn't bring up what happened last night which Ali was glad for. However, she could tell that he wanted to broach the topic later. Grandma Harris made sure to pile on extra food for both Ashlyn and Ali when their plates came around.

"I don't know what they feed you up North, but down South we make sure to stick some meat on those bones." Grandma Harris explained as she tugged on Ashlyn's lean but well defined frame.

Ashlyn playfully rolled her eyes at her Grandmother but she loved her food, and if her lean physique would get her more of it then she wouldn't complain.

"So Ali, we didn't get to learn much about you last night. How about you tell us more about you and how my Darling Ashlyn met each other." Tammye smiled from her seat.

Ali wiped the corners of her mouth before speaking. She was in a bit of an internal battle whether to omit details or trust this family with the extremely personal details of her life. She felt Ashlyn pull her into her side with a kiss to her forehead. 

"You can tell them only if you want to, but they'll understand. Baby it's up to you, no one else." Ashlyn murmured into her hair. 

Ali gave a tight squeeze to Ashlyn's hand and in a shaking tone whispered. "I want to."

Both women were aware that the entire family were witnessing their exchange, but all that matter was the trust, understanding and protection that Ashlyn promised was within her family. 

"I um... I'm from the DC area, I have one brother and my parents are divorced. I got a job working for the Senators team, that's how I met Ashlyn." Ali turned to give a smile Ashlyn's way. "She was just so friendly and welcoming, I couldn't help but fall for her. But at the same time we couldn't pursue any kind of romantic relationship because I was married."

Ashlyn l looked on at her family's stunned expression, she knew they weren't judging but she knew they were taken by surprise nonetheless. The only one that looked unfazed was her Grandmother, who was sitting on Ali's other side. Grandma Harris reached over to cover Ali's hand with her own. 

"I feel like you're ready to explain something that will probably unhinge the jaws of my camel-like family." Grandma Harris chucked, but spoke with a soothing quality in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Ali. 

Ali used her free hand to securely grip onto Grandma Harris' own. "My husband at the time was a very controlling man. Everything had to go his way or else I wouldn't like the result. He had a very bad drinking problem but I loved him and wouldn't leave because I wanted to fix my marriage. He did a lot of things to me over the course of the years I knew him, but for some reason I always said the last straw would be for him to put his hands on me. One night he was extremely angry because I was going out with the team, and he snapped. I locked myself in our bathroom and called Ashlyn for help. She's been rock throughout this whole ordeal, even when I told her that I couldn't leave my husband, she was always by my side." Ali could feel her eyes welling up just enough for her to chuckle and wipe them away. She could never explain or put into words exactly what Ashlyn meant to her because it was almost immeasurable in a sense. "Even through my divorce now, she's been keeping my head over the water. She's my life vest, and I love her very dearly."

Ashlyn pulled her into a quick kiss that still symbolized her love for the brunette. She chuckled when her Grandma rushed her so she could pull Ali into one of the tightest hugs she's ever seen her give. 

"You are one brave woman Ali. I cannot thank you enough for finding the courage and trust in your heart to tell us these details of your life. You've been through so much but yet you smile. You and my little Ashlyn are wonderful for each other." Grandma Harris said earnestly with a big smooch to her cheek and another hug. "You keep your head up and good things will always come yall ways."

"Thank you Gram." Ali smiled. 

"All I can say is that I'm glad you two are together. If I know my sister, she'll treat you like a princess even if she's having a bad day." Chris butted in and pushed some of his bacon onto Ali's plate. 

Tammye pointed at her son's gesture and laughed. "That means Chris loves you already."

"That bear child doesn't share food with anyone unless he likes them." Mike added. "Well welcome to the family Ali, we're more than excited to have both you and my daughter here. As long as you two are happy then you'll hear no complaints from me."

"I can't thank you all enough. I was practically having an out of body experience at the thought of telling someone other than my brother or Ashlyn. She promised me that you all were more than understanding, and I now know how she came out as the wonderful person she is." Ali stated. She wasn't one to always give herself self-praise but she could help but part herself on the back for taking the plunge and trusting this family with her personal life. Ali planned on telling the team and about her divorce to Matthew once their Thanksgiving break ended. However, she won't deny the fact that she is terrified of doing so but she would definitely push herself to do so. 

"I'm proud of you, baby. I know that couldn't have been easy." Ashlyn praised before leaning in to kiss her. 

Ali gave her an appreciative grin before going back to her breakfast. Once the family finished up, they split up cooking tasks to each person. They originally didn't want to burden Ali with anything since she was their guest because of Southern hospitality but Ali strongly insisted that she'd love to help out with the cooking. Which led to Ali chopping potatoes and vegetables on the outside deck with Mike and Chris taking care of the turkey. When Chris headed inside to retrieve some items, Mike used it as his opportunity to speak on a topic. 

"I hope I don't come off as intrusive, but last night I heard you screaming and even though my daughter told me that there was nothing to worry about, I can't help but think I should worry." Mike asked with sincerity in his voice. 

Ali knew he'd bring it up sometime and to be honest, she didn't blame him. "I've been having some pretty intense nightmares for a little while. They always contain my ex-husband, and as much I don't want to admit to this day, I'm still afraid of him. He frightens me, and he's been tormenting me in my dreams. But Ashlyn is helping me so much that I can't complain."

Mike nodded, "Well if it counts for anything, you have two more bodyguards in addition to Ashlyn. You can't tell but Gram swings a mean cane."Ali chuckled and nodded. "If your ex-husband tries anything, you let us know and we'll take care of it." He pulled Ali into a bear hug with only one arm and kissed the top of her hair. 

"I'll remember that Mike."

"You better, us Harris' take care of family and you're family to us Ali." Mike winked before turning back to smoking the turkey on the grill. 

●●●●●●

Thanksgiving dinner with the Harris family was one to remember. Not only was there a plethora of what seemed like never-ending food that covered the entire dinner table, but the family members themselves made the holiday something that felt beyond discussion special. To Ashlyn's dismay, the Harris' shared various stories of Ashlyn from youth, topping it off with Gram cracking open the photo album. The house was especially lively when it came time for the annual NFL game that aired. Going by the intense energy that the Harris family exuded during the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Minnesota Vikings, Ali could immediately tell where Ashlyn got her obnoxious behavior during football games from. 

Only for the night did Ali call herself a Florida fan, and it was mainly just for the fact that she liked the team colors for the Dolphins, so she could stomach wearing the large jersey Ashlyn handed her. However, Ali drew the line at the silly team chants that were flowing with ease from both Ashlyn's and Chris's mouths. Ali slipped away from the family when she saw Kyle's face appear on her phone screen.

"Happy Thanksgiving Ky." Ali said as she smiled info the phone. 

"Same to you Sis. I came by Ashlyn's place and no one was there. So then I called some of the players and Whitney tells me that you went with Ashlyn down to Florida for the holidays." Kyle said in a cheery voice as he spoke. 

"I feel like you want to say something, so I'll wait until you get to the point." Ali replied. 

Kyle mumbled on the so other line, saying something about her being a smart mouth. "Well isn't this a big step? Spending holidays together, meeting family? You and Ash are pretty serious, huh?"

"Things with Ashlyn are serious. I knew that much from the first time we kissed."

"Okay. I like Ashlyn and before you claim that it's because she's a completely bombass pitcher, it's not. Because if she hurts you Alex, then I'm gonna pitchfork her ass." Kyle said with seriousness. 

Arms wrapped around Ali's middle and lips grazed her jaw as Ashlyn's musk filled her senses. She leaned her head back into Ashlyn's frame as she spoke to her brother. "I know Kyle, and I promise I'm taking care of myself. You don't have to worry anymore."

"I will always worry because you're my baby sister, it's my job to worry about you." Kyle pointed out. "Oh yea, before I let you go, mom wants to know if you'll come by for Christmas?"

Ali was taken aback by the question. She hadn't seen her mother since she got married to Matthew, mainly because he didn't want her to, most likely because her mom would've helped her leave him sooner. She wouldn't act like their relationship was good, because it wasn't since they'd hardly talked to each other for a long while. But she wouldn't mind the opportunity to rebuild their relationship since she blamed her for their father leaving and her shortcomings with Matthew. Ali wanted to fix things. 

"Tell her I'll be there." Ali responded hopefully.

"Great, I'll let her know. Bye Sis." 

"Bye." Ali said before giggling as Ashlyn spinned her around. "What's up Ash?"

"I was wondering where my good luck charm went." Ashlyn said sweetly before connecting their lips.

Ali lifted her arms up to wrap them around her girlfriend's neck. "Mmm no offense but I don't think all the luck in the world to could stop the pounding your Florida team is receiving."

Ashlyn moved her head from side to side in agreement. "All true, but your cute as hell in my Dolphins jersey."

"Only for you, but when we get back to DC, you're wearing a Redskin's jersey." Ali winked before kissing her soundly. 

"I'm sure you can convince me." Ashlyn smirked and leaned down to kiss her again. "I love you, and thank you for coming out to visit with my crazy family. I really loved having you here."

"I'm glad you invited me. Your family is honestly amazing, I see why it was so hard for you to leave this place. Besides, I couldn't thank you all enough for making me feel so comfortable. It's an amazing feeling to truly feel like I can talk to people with them giving me support." Ali replied. "In layman's terms, I love your family."

"TOUCHDOWN! BABY!" Chris yelled as he spiked a plush football toy into the living room floor. "Ash, being our good luck charm back here!" He called out in a joking but semi-serious matter. 

"Aye Captain! Let's go babe!" Ashlyn lifted Ali up and over her shoulder while patting her butt as she took her back into the living room. 

"Ash! Put me down." Ali giggled as she was carried back into the hilarity that was the Harris family during football games.


	31. It's Not Fair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally was able to access chapters on my phone. Thank goodness for unlimited data plans lol XD
> 
> Nonetheless, enjoy. Although, some of you will not be happy because of a few things in this chapter. ;)

After the Thanksgiving break, Ali informed the Senators staff first before telling the players as a whole. The team was more than supportive and wished that Ali had told them sooner so that they could've been there for her. In the end, Ali couldn't have asked for a better reaction from an even better group of women.

●●●●●●

_"I have something that I need to tell you guys." Ali said to the group as she walked into the locker room and tapped on the lockers. Everyone one in the locker room ceased their conversations and gave their complete attention to their PT._

_"Magazines have been printing front headers about an affair pertaining to my marriage and Ashlyn. I'm sure you've seen quite a few of them. I just want to let you all know that it is somewhat true in a technical sense but only because divorces take time if one person isn't cooperative. I am in the process of divorcing my husband Matthew based on the abuse both mentally and physically he's done to me. Ashlyn has always been there for in more ways than one and yo be honest, we fell in love." Ali explained with a look casted in Ashlyn's direction. "While we were in Arizona for the tournament I was gone for a day and some of another because Matthew found me and attacked me. I'm okay, but I honestly believe that this group of women in front of me are my family and I know that I can tell our count on you all for anything. You all deserve my honesty and trust, and I know that I couldn't have trusted this information with anyone else."_

_"Can we kick his ass?!" Carli yelled from the back which garnered quite a few chuckles._

_Ali shook her head. "No, I don't want him to have any attention more from any of me or either of us, he doesn't deserve it."_

_"Why didn't you tell us earlier? I definitely would've wanted to help in any way I could." Moe asked with a bit of sadness twined in her tone._

_"I was ashamed. I felt like I deserved it everything that happened to me. I felt pretty worthless to tell the truth. And to tell the truth I still deal with those feelings on a day to day basis. Because of that I've been guarded with my feelings. I've faced immense heartbreak and hurt after telling a friend before. I've watched people just be so cruel, so I thought I couldn't trust anyone. So I held onto it, I didn't want to lose friends or be ostracized because of my admission. I was scared." Ali explained._

_"I understand. It takes courage to tell others this, and you're one hell of a strong woman Kriegs." Moe smiled and stood to hug her. "I'm glad you're here."_

_"We'll always have your back, Kriegy. Once you're a part of this family you can never ever leave. Even if we piss you off, or we don't do the right recovery work, or if Ashlyn's farts stink. I don't know how you put up with that, but hey love is love?" Syd said with a grin._

_"Hey! My farts aren't that bad." Ashlyn defended._

_Whitney raised her hand in protest. "Ash, I love you but after those protein shakes, you're like a nuclear waste site."_

_"Pick on me why don't ya." Ashlyn grumbled with her arms crossed in mock grumpiness. If any thing, Ashlyn was beyond proud of the woman she loved for having the strength and courage to put fate in a large group of women and trust them with her story. Ashlyn wanted so badly to pin her to the lockers and kiss her until her lips were red._

_Ali laughed at the two besties going at it. "Anyways, I just want to say thank you for listening and for accepting me. I can't tell you how great it feels right now."_

_Pinoe stood from her place on the locker room bench and put her hands on her hips. "No problemo Aliroo, but you want to know what's even better?" Ali raised her eyebrow for clarification which made Pinoe smirk deviously. "Complete. Sweaty. Group. Hug."_

_Ali's jaw dropped as all the players pounced on her to give one of the largest, stinky and love filled hug she'd ever experienced. In this moment she knew that she made the best choice possible._  
●●●●●●

The team was back in action after their short Thanksgiving break. This time they were in New York City to face the NYC Giants. Everyone was more than excited to be the concrete jungle city for a whole 5 days. They had already dropped their luggage off at the hotel, when both Ali and Marcus decided to walk the streets of Times Square to get their legs moving after their flight. 

It was a bit annoying to walk around and have fans and media outlets follow them around and either bug for pictures or ask obscene questions. The players and staff may have been used to hearing it on a regular basis, but hearing them ask questions pertaining to Matthew, made it immensely hard for Ali to just ignore them. 

Ali's phone began to ring with Danica's number on the screen. Ali was grateful that they reached the team hotel by the time she accepted the call. Ashlyn noticed and led them over to a conference room that wasn't in use. 

"Hey Danica, I wasn't expecting a call from you, what's going on?" Ali asked and took Ashlyn's hand before she could start asking questions as well. 

"I have both good news and bad news. The good news is, your divorce was finalized today and you're officially just Krieger. No more Evans. Matthew was uncooperative throughout the process and I got a judge to see that, so he allowed me to go ahead and proceed with your divorce." Danica spoke with a sense of pride in her tone. Pride in the sense that she was able to do this for Ali, and not just because she was her client, but because she grew close to Ali and cared for her well-being. 

"That's great news, thank you so much Danica. I don't know how I could ever thank you?" Ali blurted. All her feelings of happiness were threatening to spill over the brim and allow her to cry out in pure happiness. She couldn't believe that this divorce was finally done and over with. Matthew was no longer a part of her life, and although she still had nightmares about that night in Tempe, this was the first step to regaining who she was before meeting Matthew. 

Ashlyn kissed the side of Ali's head before turning her over to kiss her firmly and deeply. "I'm proud of you baby, you're braver and more courageous than you actually think you are."

Ali was more than willing and happy to return her embrace, she'd never get tired of Ashlyn's embrace. 

"However, Ms.Krieger, I heard from the Tempe police department that Matthew was released on bond and probation." Danica ruefully interrupted. 

"What?! He practically kidnapped me and tried to rape me in some dingy motel room and he basically gets a slap on the wrist? For what?" Ali nearly yelled in anger, she was completely dumbfounded by what she'd just heard. 

"Danica please tell us that it's a mistake, and that Matthew is actually going to jail." Ashlyn asked clearly, wanting to clarify. 

Danica sighed sadly, wishing she could tell them something else but she couldn't. "I wish I could. But Matthew's lawyer sold it as Matthew was a disgruntled husband that felt like he was losing his wife and he wanted to talk. With Matthew's near perfect theatrics, his lawyer claimed complete emotional distress. I tried to tell the judge about the things Matthew did beforehand but the fact that there was never any record of a domestic disturbance, they thought I had no physical evidence or proof to back it up. Matthew's lawyer claimed you guys had been off and on for so long that the divorce papers drove him into some kind of emotional distress. The judge bought into it, but decided that since Matthew had no priors, the judge agreed with my recomendation that Matthew would be placed on 5 years probation. He also saw that you were divorcing Matthew, so the judge filed a restraining order against Matthew so he cannot contact, come near, or do anything to you or he'll be sent straight to jail with a sentence."

"So what you're saying is they don't fucking believe me and Matthew always gets what he wants." Ali ran both hands through her hair wondering what did she have to do in order to get a clean break from Matthew. What did she have to do before she could finally live in peace without worrying about the man. It just didn't seem fair. 

Ashlyn pulled Ali close and took the now abandoned phone from her lap. 

"Thank you for the heads up Danica. If anything happens, please keep us in the loop."

"I most definitely will, goodbye Ashlyn." Danica assured before hanging up. 

"I just knew it." Ali bit out. 

"Knew what?"

"I tried to stay optimistic about everything concerning Matthew. But I knew deep down that nothing would happen to him. I just know that no matter what I do he will always find some way to make me miserable. I don't even know why I try anymore." Ali stood and placed her phone in her bag. 

Ashlyn followed her movements to the door. "Don't say that Ali, I understand how you feel but you can't-"

"No, you don't know how I feel! For years I let him walk all over me and treat me like crap! And whenever I think that things will change or get better, it doesn't and it just crushes my hopes and reminds me that I don't deserve shit!" Ali yelled. "It's like why should I bother to even get away from him when he will always get me? I should know better."

Ashlyn was taken aback by the words that came from her girlfriend's mouth. Although, she knew they were coming from a place of hurt, it still stung to have them hurled in her face. It hurt even more to see Ali like this. 

"Ali stop. Don't lash out at me because you're angry. I know that the news sucked, but at least it's something." Ashlyn rebuked. 

"So I should settle for my manipulating, piece of shit ex-husband practically getting off scotch free? That's bullshit." Ali spat and turned to leave but Ashlyn pushed her way between Ali and the door. 

"That's not what I'm saying Al." 

"Then what!?"

Ashlyn sighed. "I'm saying, don't do this. Don't let him control and consume your thoughts and your everyday actions. Don't let Matthew even have a shred of your life. Because if you get angry like this over him, stay afraid of him for the rest of your life then he wins. Don't give him that satisfaction because this is your life Ali. Not mine, not his, or anyone else, it's just your own."

Ashlyn could see the angee in Ali's eyes dwindle down to nothing as her words permeated the brunette's mind. She knew that she could never fully understand what Ali went through in regards to her relationship with Matthew, but she sure wasn't about to let Ali push her away. 

"You're right. I just...I just hate this. He'll find a way to get me, I know he will and I can't stop thinking about it because the moment I get complacent is the moment he'll get me." Ali stated. "You say be optimistic and happy but for what? Something bad always happens, it's no different when I was with him."

Ashlyn took Ali's hands and pushed open the door. She led them up to their hotel room and sat Ali on the bed while she stood in front of her. 

"Do you see Matthew? Do you hear him?" Ashlyn asked. 

Ali gave her a look that didn't understand what she was trying to do. But the caring look she received from Ashlyn spurred her to go along with it. 

"No, I don't."

Ashlyn began to strip until she was left in her tight boxer briefs, sports bra, watch, bracelet, and necklace. "Do I look like Matthew?"

Ali knew Ashlyn was nothing like Matthew but her eyes still roamed over Ashlyn's body to tell her mind and fears that she wasn't with her ex-husband nor was he anywhere near. 

"No, you don't look like him." Ali answered before growing a bit weary at whatever line of questioning Ashlyn was attempting. "Ashlyn what is this about? Why are you-" Ashlyn stepped closer toward her and lightly pushed Ali to lay on her back. Ali knows this is Ashlyn but her mind fuels her memories and sets off some of kind of panic within her. Her arms instinctively went up and her hands pushed at Ashlyn's chest as she raised her voice to say no. 

"Please, Ashlyn please just stop." Ali begged while feeling her tears paint her cheeks. 

Ashlyn said nothing when she intertwined her hands with Ali's to stop her from hitting her. She laid down next to her and wrapped her arms around Ali's torso and just held her. "Trust me. Trust me."

It took a little while before Ali finally stopped struggling and dry sobbing, and just relaxed in her arms. Ashlyn felt as Ali's hands all but gripped her forearms. 

"Ali, do I feel like Matthew?" Ashlyn said softly. 

Ali tried to control her still fast and deep breaths before she could even think to answer Ashlyn's question. She could feel Ashlyn's breath on her ear as she told her to breathe with her. Her breathing finally calmed, and she shook her head as her hands grippd the pitcher's forearms. 

"You don't feel like Matthew." Ali spoke softly. 

"Do I sound like Matthew?" Ashlyn persisted. 

"No, you don't."

Ashlyn pulled her closer so that their bodies were practically melded together. "Now, I'm going to be honest here. I can't be your guardian angel and watch over you so that nothing bad happens. I wish I could but I can't. But I can protect you whenever I can, and I will give you as much healthy and unconditional love that is humanly possible for over 100 people. I will never hurt you, and I swear to you right now that I will not let Matthew meddle into our lives ever again."

Ali just gripped her arms harder and leaned but into her. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for Al. But I want you to know that there are so many people who want to protect you and bring you happiness, you just have to realize it and let us in. If you're feeling crappy, then let us know, if you're having nightmares let us know. If you want me too hold you, kiss you, listen to you or even just be there for you, let me know." Ashlyn stated as she felt Ali nod along to each sentence. "You deserve so much more than you think. And baby I wish I could give you the world, but I can't. What I can give you is every fiber of my being that loves you."

Ali began to shake once again in Ashlyn's arms which worried Ashlyn. Ashlyn turned Ali around in her arms to get a look at her so she could gauge what was wrong. She couldn't see anything since Ali covered her face with her hands, but from the red ears she was sporting, Ashlyn could tell she was crying again. 

"Ali what's wrong? Did I say or do something wrong?" Ashlyn lightly pried Ali's hands away from her face, oddly enough she saw a smile on her face. 

"I'm not sad. These are actually happy tears." Ali explained but by the look on Ashlyn's face, she didn't understand. "You're the reason why I smile nowadays. You're the reason why I can finally look at myself and say I'm worth it. You're the reason why my head is above water, and I can stay afloat even after so much despair." Ali wrapped her arms around her neck. "You're the reason why I can be honest and love again. And I can't thank you enough for it because I love you so much."

Ashlyn leaned her forehead down on Ali's. "I love you so much as well. We're in New York City and I want nothing more than to have absolute fun with you here. As long as you're up for it if course."

"If it's with you then I'm sure I'll have a great time. But then again, the whole team will be there so things will only get better." Ali admitted, she loved this group of women, they were such an understanding and nonjudgmental bunch that she just couldn't help but love them. It was safe to surmise that she drew the lucky stick getting to work for them.


	32. Punish the Phantoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all had a great weekend! I'm back with another update, and there's baseball within it :) enjoy

"I want a clean game ladies." Andy started. 

"Should I bring my hanky? You know to keep it clean?" Pinoe joked back and got a few snorts from the players who were changing into their game gear. 

Andy shook his head but couldn't help but chuckle at the yeam clown known as Rapinoe. "You never run out of jokes do you? My goodness this girl is a riot, anyways we're going to win this game-b

"But why is it in the freaking morning?" Syd groaned. "This face ain't pretty from just makeup, I need my beauty sleep. Not to mention my worst enemies, Kriegy and Marcus. You guys got us doing cardio at 6am, what did I ever do to yall?"

"Look good. Feel good. Play good." Ali called out from Ashlyn's side as she taped up her elbow for precautions. 

Syd playfully rolled her eyes and clicked her tounge, "That's what I tell myself when I'm eating something I shouldn't."

"We know Syd. You nearly stabbed me for the last piece of teriyaki chicken when we went out in Arizona." Abby cut in and squeezed Syd's arm.

"Not that food Abbs, who knew Syd batted for our team?" Pinoe yelled out. 

Syd narrowed her eyes at the bleached blonde and stuck her fingers at her. "You may be on my team, but I hope NYC's pitcher makes you eat baseballs this morning." Syd finished by whipping Pinoe with her sweaty towel and heading up to the dugouts. 

"You guys are the most hilarious and dysfunctional family I've ever seen. Kick ass out there." Ali laughed and gave Ashlyn a quick kiss before going over to HAO to tape her up. 

"I always kick ass." Ashlyn said in a sing song voice as she grabbed her cap.

"You're only frontin' because your bae is here, ain't that right Green Giant?" Pinoe joked and ran out of the locker room as Ashlyn chased her.

"Who told you to call me that you little shit?!" Ashlyn yelled after the fast woman. 

Hope stood while shaking her head at the players, "It's a good thing that our young players aren't copying the stupidity of the older ones."

Andy just rubbed his temple as he watched the rather uncontrolled and controlled chaos going on in front of him. "I could've been stuck on a drab team, at least with this one they make me laugh." He muttered to himself, he loved this group of women like they were his family but sometimes they were like zoo animals. "Alright ladies, let's go get us a win in Yankee Stadium!"

●●●●●●

The atmosphere in Yankee Stadium was one of the best experiences for a baseball player, male or female, to witness and be a part of. Despite the heavy snow that fell all night, the stadium workers were still able to clear the entire field and keep it in its world renowned pristine condition. The stadium stands were packed to the brim with fans wearing both Senators and Phantoms merchandise, screaming from the tops of their lungs, giving the place and absolutely great aura to want to play in. 

The players stood for the national anthem before hyping themselves up. The pitching coach went over the game plan with both Ashlyn and Whitney. They were going to walk one of best batters in the American League known as the "Blonde Batting Bombshell" or Lindsey Maxwell. Ashlyn was to come in and bat at after the 7th inning stretch after they stood for "God Bless America". She and Whit were going to have to be on top of their game all morning. The rest of the players finished up their talks with the batting coaches.

Ashlyn and Whit leaned on the dugout bars as they watched Pinoe step up to home plate first. 

"Let's go Pinoe!" Ashlyn yelled. 

Pinoe tapped the home plate before taking a practice swing before teeing up and waiting on the NYC pitcher. She saw the NYC pitcher shake her head a few times before winding up and throwing a hard pitch that was called as a strike by the umpire. The next pitch was a curve ball that Pinoe absolutely whiffed on, bringing her to two strikes. 

"Pinoe focus!" Andy barked. 

Pinoe rolled her neck and got back into her batting stance. The moment the ball left the pitcher's hand, Pinoe could tell it was a low hanging ball, it was a risk to hit because it was going to be called as a ball. However, if she connects on it, she could nearly hit her own home run to start the game. She took the chance and angled get swing to get lower and to her own surprise heard the crack of the bay hitting the ball way up in the air. 

"Run you dumbass!" Hope laughed as she caught Pinoe mesmerized with her solid hit. Pinoe tossed her bat and sprinted down to first base, she saw her opportunity to get to second base and high tailed it there, sliding into the second base before the outfielders brought the ball to either the shortstop and second basemen. Pinoe clapped get hands together as Tobin took the plate and readied her stance,the NYC pitcher sent a hard ball straight down to Tobin who slammed it into the far right of the outfield. The batting coaches put Tobin up especially because she was left handed, that meant all her hits would go to the right, giving Pinoe a great chance to get to third base or score a run early. Moe took a bunting stance, ready to barely hit the ball so Pinoe could get their first run. Which was exactly what happened when the NYC pitcher tried to dupe Moe with a fast ball, Moe bunted it well past the pitcher, shortstop and second baseman, letting Pinoe score the first run.

"DC baby!" Pinoe all but cackled as she jogged into the dugout giving high fives to her teammates. 

Abby was next up, everyone on the Senators knew that the NYC pitcher wasn't even going to try and strike Abby out, they were going to walk her which would load the bases. The NYC pitcher did exactly what the Senators hoped for and loaded the bases with no outs. Hope took the plate next and knew the NYC pitcher was going to try and strike everyone out at this point. Once the curve ball came to Hope, she realized she shouldn't have swung, causing her to get a bad connection with the bat, thus causing a weak hit. 

Down the right side of the outfield, which allowed Tobin to score a run but a double play when the NYC outfielder threw it back to the infielders to yeah both Moe and Abby out. 

"It's okay, we're still up." Andy encouraged. 

Carli was up next but was struck out before she even got to hit. Ashlyn jogged back into the dugout after warming up and grabbed both her glove and cap. She and Whitney were talking amongst the pitching coach as they got last minute instructions.

Alex, Syd and Crystal were positioned in the outfield, Abby, Hope, Carli and Moe were infield with Ashlyn on the pitcher's mound and Whitney behind home plate. 

The first NYC batter proved to be no problem for Senators, the batter slammed a popping ball straight into the air and down into the outfield. Crystal was fast enough to run it down before it hit the ground, making the umpire signal the first out. Lindsey Maxwell stepped up to the and threw a wink in Ashlyn's direction, Ashlyn hardly gave her a look before nodding to Whitney and throwing her pitch. Lindsey hit the fastball with honed ease but it flew into the foul zone which gave her a strike. The next pitch was hit straight down the middle of the mound but to the surprise of everyone in the stadium, Ashlyn jumped up and caught the ball in what could only be described as a goalkeeper jumping up to knock a ball over the crossbar. 

"Fuck yea Ash." The pitching yelled out.

Lindsey scowled as she stepped off the plate and watched her teammate get struck out to end the first inning. 

The Senators played hard throughout the next 5 innings but the score still stayed 0-1 in favor of the Senators. Andy definitely wanted the scoreline higher in their favor because he knew how dangerous 1 run score lines are. Each team had glances of scoring chances but none could actually finish those chances to put some runs on the board.

When the top of the 7th inning cane and went, the Senators were beating themselves up about it. Their batters were all struck out because if foul balls, swinging at pitches that were balls and not connecting enough on the pitch thrown. Andy knew they needed a pep talk but there was no time as the spectators and teams all rose for the "God Bless America" song. After it ended, Andy quickly pulled Whit, Ashlyn and the pitching coach over to his side. 

"We need to win this. We're at the bottom of the 7th and it looks like Maxwell is ready and itching to hit a homer. I want you all to blantly walk her, I don't care about your pride because I know she can hit damn well. Play smart and safe, and we'll win this game today." Andy spoke before patting their backs and allowing the pitching coach to give them some more guidance. 

Ashlyn jogged back out to the mound as the umpire signaled the bottom of the 7th. Ashlyn winded up her pitch and threw a hard fast ball. The crowd booed and shouted in protest as Ashlyn saw her low pitch nail the batter in calf. Ashlyn covered her face with her glove while shaking her head. The umpire jogged over to her. 

"I can tell that was an accident, so you're not ejected. However, if another one happens, accident or not, you're gone." The umpire informed before allowing the batter to walk to first base. 

"Get your head in the game Harris! Close this inning out." Andy barked before leaning back on the dugout. 

Ashlyn blew out a breath before straightening her cap and readying her stance. The next NYC batter was a heavy hitting slugger, she didn't want to walk the batter because it'd load two of the bases with no outs. So she threw dipping pitches and got the batter to two strikes, she threw a curve ball that the slugger managed to bunt but thanks to Hope's long arm span, she dove to catch the sliding ball before throwing it to Moe on first base. 

"C'mon guys, keep it up." Ali yelled over the crowd that was trying to down her out as Lindsey Maxwell stepped up to the plate. 

Ashlyn could see Whitney giving her signals that the NYC was trying to steal 2nd base, so Ashlyn spinned around and pitched back to Abby who was playing shortstop in order to tag the runner out. 

"Nice, ladies!" Andy yelled. 

Lindsey tapped the plate with her bat and gave Ashlyn another smirk. When the pitch came sailing down to her, her bat connected solidly and flew into the stands for a two woman home run. Ashlyn ground her teeth as she saw how cocky Lindsey was rounding the diamond. The score was now 2-1 in favor of the NYC Phantoms.

Ashlyn waved Whitney over, she used her glove to cover her mouth as she spoke. "The next batter is a bunter. Should I try to walk her or strike her out?"

"We could let her bunt to get the base, then we try and get a double play. Put the inning to rest." Whit offered. 

"That's risky, Whit. If they hit another homer, we're most likely losing." Ashlyn replied.

"It's your call Ash."

Ashlyn nodded while tightening her ponytail and taking her place on the mound. She threw a pretty soft pitch that had Andy yelling and red in the face. The batter bunted but Ashlyn was already diving in the right position and threw it Moe to tag her out. 

"Bloody hell she's going to give me a heart attack with these stunts." Andy groaned. His team was down a run and it wasn't a great place to be in. Marcus chucked and gave him a hard pat. 

The 7th inning ended with no surprises. The 8th inning came and went with no runs for either teams. When the 9th inning began and Pinoe went first as always, she was able to get to first base. Andy changed up the batting lineup, which had Alex next. She nearly got struck out but was able to hit it hard enough that she got to 1st base and Pinoe to 2nd. Andy subbed in Crystal for Pinoe. Abby came out as the third batter and the NYC pitcher had no choice but to walk her and load the bases for the second time that night. Hope was up next and hit the ball way into the outfield, giving both Crystal and Alex enough time to slide into home plate, changing the score to 2-3. The NYC pitcher was able to end the top of the 9th with the scoreline 2-3.

Ashlyn grabbed her cap and glove and was getting ready to leave the dugout until she felt soft hands gently tug on her wrist. She smiled softly when she was met with Ali's amber colored eyes. 

"Knock em, dead Green Giant." Ali encouraged. 

Ashlyn slipped on her cap and grinned. "One win from the Senators coming up just for you." She jogged back to the mound when she proceeded to strike out two batters but allowed one to get on second base. Lindsey Maxwell was ready to bat and Ashlyn walked her. The next batter hit the pitch but Hope ran to the foul zone and caught it for an out before throwing it to Abby on third base, tagging out another runner and making it two outs before throwing it to Ashlyn who slid to tag a very cocky Lindsey Maxwell out for the third out. The umpires called the game while the Senators stormed the fields and tackled each other. 

"Fucking hell, you all are mad!" Andy yelled with a large grin on his face as he hugged each player. "If yall ever scare me like that again, you'll be running suicides every practice for 10 minutes." 

"Got it Andyroo." Pinoe joked. 

Ali wrapped her around Ashlyn's sides and gave it a tight squeeze before letting go to congratulate the rest of the players. 

"Hey Harris!" A woman called out which got the attention of some of the Senators as Lindsey Maxwell approached them. 

Ashlyn raised an eyebrow with a smile inching on her lips. "What's up, Maxwell. You sore about the loss today?"

Lindsey gave her a little jab to her side. "No you little shit. I was going to ask if you guys wanted to come to a football game later today. They're gonna honor our team today, and give us some amazing pressbox seats."

"I don't know, both the Giants and the Bills suck if you ask me." Ashlyn joked.

"Well smart ass-" Lindsey walked past her and turned to the rest of the Senators. "If the rest of yall want to come to the game, you're more than welcomed to. McAsswipe here wants to be stubborn."

"Don't worry Maxipad, we'll be there." Ashlyn stated and gave her a hug before the team started exiting the field. 

The Senators were in the recovery room when Ali decided to ask what was on her mind. 

"You and that batter seem close." Ali stated as she massaged creams into Ashlyn's elbow and shoulder.

Ashlyn leaned up and gave her cheek a quick kiss. "I love you Al."

Ali playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying you're a two timing cheat, I'm just saying you two look close."

"Mmkay. Lindsey and I went to the same college. She was the batting prodigy and I was the pitching prodigy. Because of that we were super great friends, they made us share dorm rooms, practice together. Hell if it'd make the team better they'd probably make us shower together." Ashlyn chuckled.

"College sports were always so serious." Ali said as she remembered taping up players from her college while the coach all but gave himself an aneurysm yelling out the halftime pump up speech.

"So do you want to go to that football game? We won't be in the crowds, we'll be up in the press boxes but they might want a few of our players to go down to the field." Ashlyn asked while watching Ali's skillful fingers massage the pain from her arm. 

"Sure, I've never really gone to football games but I've always cheered for the Redskins. But I'll put away my yellow and red for one day." Ali said with a smile before going over to other players.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be wonderful for a lot if not everyone ;)


	33. Meet Louis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy peeps :D

Pinoe was jumping up and down in the players tunnel in the New York Giants stadium. Pinoe, Ashlyn, Syd and Abby were chosen to represent the Senators for a introduction that the NYC Phantoms invited them to. The rest of the Senators were way up in the press box seats. Ashlyn wrapped an arm around Pinoe's shoulder as they sang Senators chants in jokingly teasing way to the Phantoms all in good fun.

The announcer called them out to walk the field while he spoke mainly about the Phantoms but said some tidbits about the Senators. Despite the loss to the Senators, the NYC Giants' crowd cheered for both their own team and the DC team. After the mini honoring was done, security led them back up to the press box.

Ashlyn immediately sidled up next to Ali before giving her a squeeze and a soft kiss. Syd rolled her eyes jokingly at the couple.

"Hey, America's Sweethearts. Can yall stop reminding us on how some of our significant others are miles away. If I can't mack on my man them neither can you two." Syd teased while eating a large funnel cake that the stadium crew brought up. 

Ashlyn stuck her tounge out at her but nearly bit it when she felt a strong palm smack her upside the head. She instinctively reached back to hold her head while whipping around to see the cause of the hit. 

"Ugh Maxwell, still childish I see." Ashlyn smirked while rubbing her head. 

Lindsey scoffed and gave her a hard pat on the arm. "Still kissing women who are way out of your league, I see."

"Isn't that an accomplishment on my part?" Ashlyn said with a goofy look and raised eyebrow when she thought about how lucky she was to be with Ali. 

Lindsey tapped her chin in a mock state of thought. "Hmm, I don't think so. I think it's pity."

"This is the worst foreplay I've ever heard." Pinoe groaned as she reached over their table to grab some chips and dip along with a bottle of water.

Ashlyn slapped her back and gave her a little shove before turning back to the two women next to here. Frowning slightly when she saw Ali and Lindsey laughing about something. 

"Do I even want to know what you're telling her?" Ashlyn chuckled as she leaned onto the table. 

"Well, Lindsey was just telling me about some interesting stories of you from college. Who would've thought you could be such the math nerd?" Ali smiled in one of the cutest smiles Ashlyn's ever seen.

"Oh god, what did you tell her?" Ashlyn groaned as her hands went over her eyes. 

Lindsey patted her back in mock reassurance. "We introduced ourselves since you couldn't do it for us."

"And..."

"And I told her about that one night you had with that one chick after we won the national championship." Lindsey grinned deviously. "I didn't get to finish however because your big head inserted itself back into our conversation."

"I'm sure Ali doesn't want to hear-"

"Hush Ash. Don't worry, my feelings for you will still be the same my Intelligent Green Giant." Ali smiled and ran a hand over her cheek before turning her attention back to Lindsey. 

"Well, we had just won the National Championship in softball with Florida University. Now this was both Ashlyn's and I's last year at college, so not only could we drink, we could party. Now Ashlyn here got drunk, and I mean absolutely shit faced, and somehow managed to get some hot chick to go back to our dorms." Lindsey got out while trying not to laugh to hard.

"Oh my god, Lindsey don't." Ashlyn groaned while trying to hide her face in Ali's shoulder as more of their teammates crowded around the table to listen in on the story.

Lindsey snorted. "Now we all have connected dorm rooms, two per room. I couldn't go back to our room because Ashlyn was getting busy so I went next door to sleep. Here's the funny part, Ash and the chick were honestly so drunk but Ashlyn managed to cum but the chick didn't and she was complaining. So Ms.Intelligent here went and practically recited the statistics of orgasms among white women in their early 20s in Florida. The chick was weirded out then for some reason started complaining about her bodily assets, so Smarty Pants recited some more stats on women's body parts. That chick all but left that room, and when we came inside, Ash was fucking doing math homework like nothing happened!"

Laughter erupts through the press box as Ashlyn groans even more. She looks up to Ali and her jaw drops when she sees Ali laughing along with their teammates. 

"Babe not you too." Ashlyn whined.

Ali covered her cheeks as she laughed, her red ears were an indication enough of her laughter. Before Ashlyn could comment more on it, both Pinoe and Syd grabbed on her shoulders. 

"You were a fucking mess." Pinoe chortled while ruffling her hair.

"Holy shit. You spoke statistics to the chick about how her not having an orgasm was normal? God damn!" Syd all but guffawed.

Ali ran her fingers through her pitcher's blonde hair before pulling her down for a soft peck. "Thank goodness you grew out of that because if you recited statistics while we...you know...I don't know what would've happened." Ali giggled. "But it was cute, you were cute."

"See Lindsey, the past doesn't matter." Ashlyn stated before pulling Lindsey into a side hug. "But how about we keep the college stories to a complete zero."

The groups of women continued to tease Ashlyn but later resigned to watch the football game. The team was able to splurge on some not so diet approved items since Andy and the team nutritionist were occupied with other matters in another press box. 

The NYC Giants lost to the New England Patriots which had Pinoe seriously and jokingly calling both the Phantoms and Giants a "Doubleheader Losing Show". It got her quite a few shoves her and then but for the most part, almost all of the Senators were laughing. 

Andy and other members of the staff caught up with the women around the food court area while tugging along a clear cases full of Louisville Sluggers with silver lettering along the side. 

"Ladies, I come bearing gifts!" Andy walked over and propped the cases as the players started crowding around him to take a look inside. 

"Oh now that's rad." Ashlyn grinned as she peeked over Andy's shoulder.

"Okay well the WMLB decided to give some of their best teams some awesome gear. They're not for playing though, just to keep. So don't fuck them up." Andy said in an extra thick accent. 

"Well I think the only one that should be getting this warning is our resident idiot over there." Syd hitched her thumb in Pinoe's direction which got quite a few nods and sounds of agreement. 

Pinoe rolled her eyes but shrugged when she thought about it. "You might be right but shove off. Gimme my dang bat Aussiroo." She said like a child while wiggling her fingers near him.

"Alright you greedy little child." Andy handed out the bats by the names on each one. Each player "oooed" and "awwed" as they looked over the light brown bat with some accents of dark brown that was carved to perfection and the silver lettering etched on it that displayed "To some of the WMLB's finest".

Ali sidled next to Ashlyn and watched as the pitcher's face changed as she looked over the prized bat in her hands. She was pointing at the lettering and overall precision the bat was carved in. It all seemed to happen in a flash when Ashlyn was yanked backwards and hit square in the face, causing her to nearly hit the ground as everyone was taken by surprise. Ali's eyes went wide as she saw her now bearded ex-husband stare at Ashlyn like a complete furious madman. 

"You stole my wife you fucking piece of shit!" Matthew yelled like a deranged man. Anyone near him could smell the alcohol on his breath and body, but yet he still seemed somewhat lucid. 

The Senator's staff and players were ready to subdue the angry ex-husband but Ashlyn swung the Louisville Slugger right into the side of his abdomen and slammed her right fist into his nose, knocking him on his ass, clearly in pain and groaning. 

"Stay the fuck away from my family you prick." Ashlyn spoke with such finality and strength. "Now someone call the police so they can pick up this jackass who just violated his restraining order."

Matthew stayed on the ground, groaning in pain as he held his face and side. 

Ali turned to Ashlyn as her palm framed her cheek. "Ash are you okay? God, look at what he did to your face."

"Babe I'm okay. He must've followed us, again." Ashlyn answered while Ali gently patted at her bloody nose with a handkerchief. 

"Damn Ash, that was one hell of a right hook. Pitching has taught you well." Pinoe commented as she looked over Matthew.

Andy was already on the phone with the police but with the crowd that generated, the stadium security personnel were already breaking through to get statements and apprehend the correct people. After getting statements from everyone, they ended up taking both Ashlyn and Matthew to their office in the stadium to talk some more. The Senators and even spectators were backing Ashlyn up in the case of pure self-defense. Once the NYC police entered the stadium, Matthew was arrested for stalking, assault and violation of a restraining order. 

●●●●●●

The NYC Giants allowed the Senators to use the med-room that was generally only accessed by the football players but given the circumstances, they let them inside. Most of the Senators players and Lindsey Maxwell gave Ashlyn words of congratulations for kicking Matthew's ass. Some of them even joked about how good it must've felt to kick the sorry guy's ass. The Senators players knew that this was his last straw and he was going away for sure. 

Ali set Ashlyn's nose back in place which was crooked before. 

"Owww, I've been nailed with baseballs before but this hurts so fucking bad." Ashlyn chuckled with with a shudder as Ali's fingers touched her rather tender nose. 

"This is just a little battle wound, Champ! You seriously whooped that guys ass!" Pinoe said giddily while rubbing Ashlyn's shoulders like a coach does to a boxer.

Abby patted her thigh with a grin as she walked past. "Don't worry Harris. You've broken your nose before, at least this time you'll only have one shiner." Hope said and poked the developing bruise that spanned from Ashlyn's nose to under her left eye. 

"Har har Hopey, this face will still look damn good on tv." Ashlyn joked back. "Oww."

"Our very own Mike Tyson." Andy stated with a firm shoulder grab before turning to exit the room. "I'm never an advocate for violence but...nice work Harris, I'm proud of you." He said with a subtle smile, gave Ali's arm a little squeeze and left. 

The room went silent as everyone exited and as Ali applied some medical strips on the pitcher's nose.

"Oww, jeez this hurts worse than I thought-"

Ali cut her off with a hard slap to her arm that snapped Ashlyn's attention to her. "Don't do that...don't scare me like that-"

Ashlyn took Ali's hands. "Al-"

"No. I'm not mad, I just...I don't want to see you hurt and my mind thinks of all the worst possible scenarios that could've happened. But I'm-" Ali leaned in and carefully kissed Ashlyn hard. "I'm so fucking proud of you and I don't care what's happening to Matthew right now, all I care about is you. And as much I want to call you an idiot, I can't, because I love you so much and I'm glad you're okay."

"Okay babe, okay. I'm okay, and I'm sorry for Kimbo slicing that prick."

Ali giggled on her lips while shaking her head. "I'm not. I'm happy that you kicked his ass, it...it felt liberating. I know he's going to prison. I know he's not coming back because he can't. I know that he can't come between us anymore."

"So you're okay? You're not mad or angry or scared?" Ashlyn murmured as she kissed her softly to avoid hurting her bruised nose. 

"I'm okay Ashlyn. I'm freaking great right now." Ali said before kissing her more deeply. "I'm sorry he hit you though."

"Eh fuck him. I knocked his ass out." Ashlyn joked some more before raising an eyebrow at her grinning girlfriend. "You are grinning like crazy right now. Does my face really look that bad?"

"You're still the beautiful woman I know and love, even with your bruised face. But I'm grinning because I'm happy, so so SO happy right now. He's finally gone and I don't have to worry about him anymore. I can truly feel like weights are finally lifted off my shoulders. I can just be with you." Ali answered with an extremely gentle kiss to Ashlyn's nose. 

Ashlyn's eyes fluttered closed at the action before opening again to cradle Ali's cheeks and lean into her. "On a scale from 0 to 10, how happy are you?"

"One million, I'm fucking estatic!" Ali stated with a broad grin that made Ashlyn chuckle at her usage of a curse word. 

Ashlyn did the only that she deemed appropriate for them at the moment. She slipped her hands down to Ali's waist, fingers splayed out on her lower back and butt. Ali's arms went to rest on her pitcher's shoulders, her fingers curling in the wisps of hair on the base of her neck. Ashlyn leaned in to passionately kiss the brunette that truly looked, felt and seemed at ease. This was a start for the both of them. It was a start without Matthew hanging in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meeting with Louis was quick and good, I'd say. ;)


	34. Welcome Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mama Kriegs is here :D

The ride to Ali and Kyle's mother's house was pretty eventful. Despite the major detours they had to take because of all the snowed out roads. The three grown ups played "I Spy", they sang ear grating car songs and even played that alphabet game where you look for an item that matches the letter you were given. It was all going smoothly until Ashlyn became way too competitive for any of them, Kyle started accusing them of cheating, all the while chasing himself, and Ali tried flinging out big words that neither Ashlyn or Kyle could even spell, so they had no idea if it were right. 

It had been 2 weeks after Matthew was arrested for the second time and in less than a day after it occurred, Danica called Ali to tell her that it was finally over, Matthew was going straight to prison with a harsher sentence than what the judge initially agreed to. It was a momentous day for both Ali and Ashlyn, but more so for Ali. To hear the words that symbolically sets you free, was a powerful feeling, one that Ali couldn't contain. It actually made her break down into a sobbing fit of pure happiness, but as Ashlyn's arms had surrounded her, she knew this was where she always wanted to be. 

Ali had agreed to take up counseling, it would start after their Christmas break, to help strengthen and fix the relationship she had with Ashlyn. It was something that she wanted to do because Ashlyn deserved as much from her. Ali was partially afraid to talk to a trained professional but with encouragement from her friends on the Senators, she knew it was right choice. 

Kyle pulled into a gas station to fill up on some more gas, although they had a little ways to go, he was always precautious. 

"Hey you guys want anything before I go in?" Kyle asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Yea, could you get me some water and trail mix. Babe you want anything?" Ashlyn asked.

"Just some granola if that's fine."

"Got it." Kyle said but stayed seated in the vehicle, raising a few eyebrows from the two women.

Ali spoke and gave Kyle's seat a little nudge. "Are you gonna go or what?"

"Uhm, money sis." Kyle replied with his hand outstretched to the back and passenger's side.

"You are unbelievable Kyle." Ali chuckled as she reached for her purse and producing enough money for both her and Ashlyn's items. She gave it to her brother but not before flicking his forehead and muttering "cheapass".

After Kyle finished up at the gas station and they played more games, they finally pulled up to their childhood home. The place looked warm but it certainly missed that quality of "welcome home" that the Harris home contained. Ali wasn't surprised though, she hadn't been there in years, nor talked to the woman who lived there for years, she wasn't expecting it to feel like home just familiar. 

"Well, let's go see mama." Kyle said after blowing out a drawn out breath. 

The two women nodded before exiting the car and grabbing their bags with Kyle's help. Ashlyn could tell that Ali was possibly more nervous about seeing her mother, than Ashlyn herself. So she slipped her hand into Ali's before raising their intertwined hands to her lips. 

"It's gonna be fine Al. I think she'll be excited to see you." Ashlyn whispered as Kyle climbed up the steps. 

Ali nodded as they followed her brother. "I know. I'm not scared, I'm anxious. A good anxious, you know. I haven't seen or talked to her since college and I feel bad for it but I want to make it right."

"Then you're in the right place." Ashlyn smiled just as the door opened up and revealed an older but mirror image of both Kyle and Ali. 

Deb's eyes immediately welled up with tears as her hands went to cover her mouth at the same time a small sound of joy left her mouth. "Oh my...my babies are here. Kyle-" She leaned in while holding his cheeks in between her hands before kissing his forehead and cheeks. She leaned her forehead with his before kissing his cheek once more. She looked around him, and broke into a teary-eyed grin as she approached her daughter with open arms.

"Alex...Oh my Alex. It's been so long since I-" Deb's voice was laden with emotions and cracked as her words tried to come out. "Can I hold you? Just this once Sweetheart."

Ali shook her head before all but running into her mother's arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Ashlyn couldn't help but sidle up next to Kyle, both sporting the same large grins because of the scene in front of them. 

After what seemed like a long time of tears and words that were so mumbled that only the mother and daughter could understand. Deb finally pulled away and held both of her daughter's hands before wiping both of their eyes and turning to Ashlyn. 

"I'm sorry, I don't think I've ever actually met you before." Deb said, her voice regaining some of its original sound. "I'm Deb."

Ashlyn smiled and held out her hand for a shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Deb, I'm Ashlyn Harris, Ali's friend." She'd rather introduce herself as a friend now and let Ali introduce her as her girlfriend when she's ready. 

"Well let's get you guys inside before we freeze out here." Deb smiled as she ushered them inside. "Go ahead and get warm and situated."

●●●●●●

Deb had a pot of off hot chicken soup with a bunch of vegetables cooked inside and baked chicken on the side. Kyle almost tumbled down the stairs at the smell of his mom's food but he promptly stopped before he rounded the corner. 

"I guess, I'm letting you two lead the convo, huh?" Kyle asked.

"It's up to Al, really." Ashlyn answered honestly. 

Ali chuckled softly, "I'd like to lead the conversation. There's so much I have to tell you and mom both, and if I lead the conversation, things will go easier."

Kyle raised his eye brows in surprise, wondering what he didn't know but figured he was going to find out soon anyways. They all took their place at the table, Kyle next to Deb while Ali and Ashlyn sat across them. 

"So have you guys been? Kyle calls me but..."

"I'm divorced." Ali blurted. "My relationship with Matthew was never healthy. You saw it, Kyle saw it, everyone saw it. He abused me both physically and mentally and I stayed because I wanted to make up for the loss of dad. And I-" Ali tightened her fingers around the table cloth as she willed herself not to cry like this in front of her mother. Not after all the times she witnessed her mother cry in front of Kyle and she. She needed to be strong. 

"And I just couldn't believe that it took for things to get so unbearable before I could tell myself to leave. There's nothing Matthew hasn't done to me, but I had to leave him. I found my self-worth in both myself and others and I realized that I'm not alone in it. I realized that there are people that love me that I've pushed away and also gained, and I cane here because I wanted to...no, I want to fix things between us because deep down I knew that none of what happened with both dad and Matthew could ever be your fault." Ali said. 

Deb stood from her place and eclipsed her daughter in a tight hug, one that conveyed any emotion she was feeling. It wasn't long before her body started to shake with silent sobs that came along with sniffling. 

"Please don't cry mom." Ali said from the comfort of her mother's embrace. 

Deb nodded subtly before pulling back and not even bothering to wipe her eyes. "Alex, Sweetheart. I never wanted you or Kyle to ever experience what I went through. And I know that I made some mistakes in my past, but baby girl, I didn't want you or Kyle to repeat them. I wanted to make up for what you two endured, and it hurt to have you not call but Sweetheart, I understand because I was the same way when I was with your father. I just wanted to protect you both."

"I'm sorry for cutting you out of my life. Whenever I think back to my actions, all I see and feel is shame. You wanted to help us, you wanted to keep us safe but I didn't listen. But Matthew is gone, mom, and he is never coming back again." Ali informed while rubbing her mom's sides, trying to get her tears to stop. 

"He can't hurt you anymore?" Deb asked softly. 

Ali shook her head with a small smile. "No more, mom."

A new round of tears erupted from both women, Kyle and Ashlyn getting a little misty-eyed themselves. Kyle couldn't bear to stay seated any longer, so he stood and wrapped his two favorite women up in a tight hug, kissing both of their heads while mumbling words only the Kriegers could understand. 

Ashlyn watched the family reunite as a stronger union. She couldn't helpbut get emotional herself, knowing that everything that just transpired in front of her spanned over years of hurt. She couldn't have been any happier for the Kriegers.

Ali gently pulled away from the embrace and lightly grasped Ashlyn's hand. "Mom, this is Ashlyn."

"Sweetheart, I know. I met her a little while ago." Deb corrected as she cleared her face of tear trails. 

Ali shook her head in disagreement. "No, she introduced herself as a friend, but she is so much greater than that. Ashlyn is my girlfriend, she's the woman that never gave up on me when I couldn't find my strength. She's the woman that gave me true love and hope that things would get better. She's the reason why I'm able to be here and change my life."

"Oh! Oh, well-" Deb all but pulled Ashlyn into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you. Thank you for saving my Alex, thank you so much." She whispered into her ear. 

"She has a network of love and friends waiting for her. I just wanted her to see that she wasn't in this alone, that we'd always be there for each other. She found her strength all on her own." Ashlyn replied, hugging back with just a much effort. 

"Still. I'm happy for her, for the both of you." Deb insisted. 

"She's got herself a keeper, that's for sure." Kyle admitted as he rubbed his mom's shoulders. 

"Although you look sort of familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Ashlyn plays for a sports team, the Washington Senators in Women's Baseball." Ali informed. "Maybe you've seen her on tv before?"

"Oh well that makes sense. I think I've seen you on tv before." Deb said in understanding. "So tell me more about you all. I've been talking to Kyle over the years but Sweetheart is really love to know more about what's been going on since."

"I would love to." Ali agreed honestly before picking up their foods to reheat them since they went cold. 

●●●●●●

They all talked for what seemed like hours on end. Kyle told wild stories about everything that's been going on in his life for the past few months, which had everyone in complete laughing fits. Next it was Ali's turn to really tell her family and Ashlyn included, about the events that took place since graduating college. It was hard but Ali knew her mom, Kyle and Ashlyn deserved to know. She told them about what led to the restraining order and finally his arrest. She told them how she was going to start counseling to really talk out what's she's been through. And finally she ended by voicing how she wanted to rebuilding her relationship with her mom and everyone around her. 

When the family got more reacquainted with each other, Deb asked Ashlyn to share more about herself. Deb wanted to take a crash course in the woman that captured her daughter's heart and gave nothing but support and healthy love. Ashlyn was quick to really introduce herself, she was being nothing but herself but it was enough to have Deb pull her into another hug. By the end of the night, it was as if the family had never been separated before, everyone was caught up and quite happy with it. 

Ali had decided to stay a bit longer with her mother downstairs even though it was after midnight. She wanted the opportunity to continue talking to the woman that looked out for her despite the way she treated her. She just wanted to continue talking to her mother. 

Deb brought two saucers over that had steaming teacups on top of each. She placed one in front of her daughter before sitting down next to her. 

"I'm very glad you're here Alex." Deb said as she patted her hand. "I thought you wouldn't show up like the past years. I didn't want to give up on trying to reach you, and when I called Kyle over Thanksgiving to ask you, I really thought I was going to hear 'no' from you."

"I'm sorry about all of what I put you through, mom. I just needed someone to really show me the way, and Ashlyn and others did that for me. I knew that you've been in my corner since day one, and you deserved to hear from me. I want to fix our relationship, I've missed you more than I could've ever imagined." Ali stated. 

"This feels like a dream doesn't it. You, Kyle and I, happy under this roof. Who would've thunk?" 

Ali took a small sip from the hot liquid. "I know what you mean. But I'm glad we can be happy again. And I don't want this to be temporary, I'm going to keep in contact as much as possible, I can promise you that much."

"Well Sweetheart, I'm touched." Deb smiled softly. She placed a hand on her shoulder with a little squeeze. "I'm going to head to bed. How about you get to Ashlyn before she falls asleep."

"Will do." Ali gave her mom another tight hug before turning to the stairway. "Goodnight mom."

"Sweet dreams Sweetheart." Debb smiled at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh and Sweetheart, she's a good one."

Ali nodded before slowly climbing into her bed and carefully cuddled into her pitcher so not to rouse her. Ashlyn let out a small sound before wrapping her warm arms around the brunette and placing a kiss to her forehead. 

"How was today, baby?" Ashlyn mumbled sleepily. 

Ali leaned in to peck her lips before getting her head comfortable in the crook of Ashlyn's neck. "Absolutely perfect."


	35. Merry Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys had a great weekend! :D

It was quite chilly on Christmas morning, but being entangled within Ashlyn's warm body was always a welcomed feeling, it didn't get any better than that in Ali's eyes. She snuggled deeper into the crook of Ashlyn's neck as her hands found purchase in the fabric of her long sleeved shirt. 

Ali heard a low rumble draw from Ashlyn's chest as a smile spread across her lips. 

"Hey beautiful." Ashlyn mumbled before leaning down to connect their lips but came face to face in mess of brown curls. "Baby come back."

Ali giggled into Ashlyn's chest and shook her head no. "Nuh huh, you're breath stinks pretty bad this morning." She said jokingly while her face stayed muffled in Ashlyn's chest. She felt warm hands slip under her tank top and right to her ribs. 

"Ash no!" Ali practically screeched as she laughed and tried to fend off her pitcher's forever moving hands. 

"You're gonna love me and my bad morning breath." Ashlyn laughed as she climbed up on Ali to straddle her waist and get a better angle at tickling her. 

"It's a shame too because you're damn sexy." Ali stated, completely out of breath. 

"Sexy? Oh really now." Ashlyn said with a sly smirk as she lowered her face down to kiss her. 

Ali slipped her own hands under the loose t-shirt Ashlyn donned, spreading her fingers along the strong muscles of her back. "Mmm, I like this."

"This reminds me of the first time we kissed in Boston. God, Boston was amazing. You're amazing." Ashlyn said with a slight smile as she remembered. 

Ali leaned up on her elbows and nodded in agreement. "Boston was a great realization point for me. The moment I kissed you was the moment I knew I could never stay with Matthew. Everything he and I ever did would be compared to my time with you."

"And how'd I fare?"

Ali slapped her shoulder playfully. "Baseball players sure are cocky."

"Well I did knock out you ex-husband in front of hundreds." Ashlyn said with a shit eating grin. 

"That is true, but anyways, when we kissed in Boston, that was the moment I truly opened up my heart to love and be loved since Matthew. It was an amazing feeling, to feel wanted, safe, comfortable and downright happy. You're something else Ms.Harris." Ali finished with a soft peck. On further inspection, she could see Ashlyn looking at her with misty eyes. She ran her palm over her cheek while rubbing gently with her thumb. "Baby."

"I love you All, you know that right. I just...man are my feelings strong for you and I'm seriously in love with this person you're becoming. No more Matthew being a constant in your life. Now you just get to be you." Ashlyn replied. 

"With you. I get to do all of this with you and friends and family. I have so much more than when I started." Ali continued to rub her cheek. "Merry Christamas baby."

"Merr-"

Kyle busted through the door with his hand over his eyes as if in an attempt to shield them from anything bad he might see. "Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!" He yelled as he jumped onto the bed, landing on their legs. 

"Kyle! What do you even think you were doing?!" Ali shrieked as she kicked at him to get him off her legs. 

"In telling my sissy-poo and her gal pal, Merry Christmas!" He said in a louder voice than necessary. "I know we didn't bring any gifts but believe me, you coming here and talking to mom, huh, that was enough for a lifetime for her." 

"Well then I guess we should get up now huh." Ashlyn said awkwardly from her spot on her girlfriend. 

Kyle nodded while still on his sister's back and scrolling through his Instagram. "You two better not be trying to go downtown on each other while I'm in here."

Ali all but gawked at him. "Are you serious? You walked in on us once before because you didn't knock. Now you're telling me that we shouldn't be touching each other because you're in the room. Did you learn nothing from your last encounter?"

"Yes, I did actually. I figured out that if I'm not getting any then neither are you two." Kyle pointed out before rolling off the bed away from Ali's kicking feet. "Now let's go cook some snowman cookies!" He yelled before skipping out of the bedroom. 

"Well, at least he's gone." Ashlyn said before capturing Ali's lips in another kiss that quickly became heated between the both of them. Ashlyn moaned at the sensation of Ali's nimble hands moving up her thighs. She released Ali's lips before going to attack her neck with hot kisses. 

"You're beautiful, so fucking beautiful." Ashlyn breathed into her neck. She moved up to her earlobe and bit down lightly before sucking on it. 

Ali hands went up into the pitcher's blonde hair. "Ah Ash, baby." 

Ashlyn's head popped up with an adorable but sexy smile and completely mussed hair. She ran her hands under Ali's shirt before going back down to kiss the brunette's pink lips. 

The moment Ashlyn's hands moved to lift her shirt, Ali broke their kiss and sat up a bit. 

"We should go help my mom in the kitchen...you know with cooking, she likes to cook a lot for the holidays." Ali breathed. 

"Really? Uh yea, that's fine." Ashlyn gave her a slow peck before getting off of her girlfriend. "Let's get cooking."

"I'll meet you down?"

"Of course." Ashlyn stated with a kiss to her temple. 

●●●●●●

The house was filled with other older women and men, some adults, teenagers and children. The home definitely took on an immensely more "homey" feeling to it as it filled with more people. It was an amazing sight for Ali to see family members and friends come over for the holiday to be a complete and utter normal and united family. 

Deb put Ali, Ashlyn and Kyle on pie making duty. However the craziness that was going on the kitchen was one to be seen. Even though Deb practically made everything like the filling and dough, all the three had to do was roll out the dough and put the filling inside. 

"Mom is going to kill is us." Kyle stated as he looked around the kitchen and at the women in front of him, everything was covered in flour and some different kinds of pie fillings. 

Ali lightly blew on Ashlyn's face to remove some of the flour. "You are an idiot." She said with an every growing smile. 

"Hey, I'm a cook, not a baker. How was I supposed to know that the bag would explode." Ashlyn replied. Everytime she spoke, a cloud of white dust puffed around her face. She coughed a bit but Kyle and Ali just started laughing at the blonde. 

"What happened in here? It was just pie." Deb asked while standing completely flabbergasted. 

"Ash here should stick to baseball." Kyle snickered.

 

Ashlyn gave him a hard nudge that made him yelp and rub his arm. "We'll clean this up Deb, don't worry."

Deb just nodded blankly as she looked at the mess. She was just glad that she finished most of the cooking already, otherwise she'd be stuck with the this mess. She exited the kitchen to allow them to clean. 

The group cleaned up as much of the "flour bomb" they could before going up to shower. Ali went in first while Ashlyn waddled gingerly into the bathroom so she drop flour all over the hallway floor. She closed the bathroom door behind her and started removing her clothes, dropping them in the sink. 

"Hey Al, I'm coming in." 

"Just give me a second. You're covered in flour and I'm almost done with my shower, it wouldn't make sense for you to come in." Ali reasoned. 

"Mmkay, but you're gonna miss out on this body that you happened to call, and I quote 'damn sexy'." Ashlyn replied while fiddling with her towel. 

"And now you're ego's too big and is taking up all the space in here." Ali reached a hand out of the shower and took her towel. She pulled the shower curtains open once she was covered and blew a kiss the pitcher. 

They spent the rest of the day hanging out with the family that came over. For Ali it was a breath of fresh air to spend the holidays with family, she loved her time with the Harris' and although it was an amazing feeling, it was even better to feel the way with your own family. This was much needed downtime for the family. 

Ali couldn't help but chuckle while talking to some relatives when she saw Ashlyn surrounded with some of her teenage and adult relatives. She excused herself from the conversation before going over to her girlfriend. 

"It looks like you could use some saving." Ali noticed. 

Ashlyn gave her a look of relief. "Well you guys it was nice talking to yall. Maybe later you can ask Ali about those pics and tickets." She heard some groans and whines from the people in front of her but quickly turned her attention back to Ali and the little baby in her arms. 

"Alright you guys, stop harassing my girlfriend for baseball favors." Ali made a shooing motion with her hand as they grumbled while walking away. "You looked like you needed some saving."

"I sure did. Now who's this little chunker?" Ashlyn gave Ali a kiss before tickling the little girl's stomach.

"This pretty girl is Rose." Ali smiled while holding Rose's little arm to wave. "You know every Christmas, birthday, and any other holiday that happens, everyone is going to harass me for baseball favors."

"Sorry not sorry babe. This Green Giant is famous one."

"Ali snorted and waved get off, "Early retirement?"

"In your dreams Sissy." Kyle said as he joined the conversation while eating a piece ham. "This lady here is my ticket to red carpet events, hot men, all you can eat buffets. Hell if I wasn't gay, I'd date ya."

"I'm flattered Kyle to know how much I mean to you. But uh the only one getting perks, it's this pretty lady." Ashlyn said with another kiss to her lips. 

"But she works there." Kyle argued. 

"Stop being cheap Ky. Now c'mon so we can open presents." Deb chastised as she gave her son's ear a little tug. 

They ask took their places in the living room that was now filled beyond capacity with family. The family exchanged presents and laughs as there were some good presents and some pretty bad ones. Although Ali, Kyle and Ashlyn originally didn't come with presents, Ashlyn actually had a little surprise up her sleeve. 

"Well I know there are plenty of baseball fans in here, and to thank all of you for welcoming me into this home for Christmas." Ashlyn plucked her coat from one of the many chairs in the room and took a brown package from it. "Merry Christmas you guys."

Debb squeezed her hands before opening the package to reveal a large number of tickets to their next game with behind to scene perks along with it. To even think about the price of the tickets was crazy, especially with the seats given. Deb immediately teared up before pulling her into a tight hug. 

"Thank you Ashlyn. This is so sweet." Debb smiled and gave the tickets to the other family members that started a ruckus about who gets what. Deb picked up a medium sized box and handed it to them. "It's for all of you."

Kyle plucked it out of Ashlyn's hands and awwed once he opened it. 

"I made them a few days ago."

Kyle pulled out a dark blue, hand knitted sweater before handing a red and purple one to his sister and Ashlyn. 

"Aww thank you mom, they're amazing." Ali said while already pulling hers over her head. Ashlyn did the same and marveled at the softness the sweaters held. 

"Well I'm glad you guys love them. I really enjoyed having you all here. I have to say it's been one of the best Christmases I've had in a very long time." Deb admitted as she gave each a kiss on the cheek. 

"Merry Christmas baby." Ashlyn said as she slung an arm over her shoulder and kissed her squarely on the lips. Ali pulled on her shirt when she tried to break the kiss. 

"Mmm Merry Christmas babe." Ali said with contentment with her head on her chest, watching her family interact.


	36. You're Going to Woo Me?

Ashlyn and Ali were back from their Christmas break holiday at Deb's place. It was week of healing, catching up, and utter fun. Both women knew the week couldn't have gone better and Ashlyn couldn't have been happier for Ali for finally reconnecting with her mom after so much heartbreak. 

Ali stayed true to her word and call her mom immediately upon arriving back at Ashlyn's place. They talked for nearly two hours until Ashlyn started a doggy-eyed pouty face for attention that had Ali both laughing and complying to her silly girlfriend. 

"You know what day it is?" Ashlyn said as she laid her head on Ali's lap. 

Ali hummed in response as she combed her fingers through the soft blonde hair of her pitcher. "First day of counseling."

Ashlyn turned over to face her. "Are you nervous? Because I'm nervous and it's not even my appointment, you know."

"I know you are, because you're absolutely adorable. But I'm a little nervous. I know they don't judge but there's always a bit of apprehension when I have to tell someone new." Ali answered before leaning down to connect their lips. 

"Hmm, well just know that me, among others, are here for you. If you need ice cream afterwards, the team will buy you an ice cream factory." Ashlyn said as she gesture largely. 

"How thoughtful." Ali chuckled, "You'll love me even if I get some rolls after all that ice cream?"

"That just means there's more to love." Ashlyn smiled. 

"You're silly." Ali stated. "Now go get ready before your friends get here."

●●●●●●

Ali walked into the offices where her counseling were to take place. Ashlyn wanted to go with her but due to the fact that the Senators had practice, Ali wanted to try going by herself and invite Ashlyn later when she was more comfortable doing so. When the receptionist called her over, Ali was escorted into the room of Dr.Reese.

"It's very nice to meet you, Alexandra. I'm Dr. Eliza Reese." Dr.Reese smiled as she extended her hand towards Ali.

Ali shook her hand. "Nice to meet you as well, but please call me Ali." 

"Will do. Have a seat please." Dr.Reese said as she sat across but to the side of Ali. "Now Ali, tell me a little more about you and the reason why you're here. I know why, but I want to hear it from you, in your own words."

"Well I was in an abusive relationship with my ex-husband, Matthew, for over 5 years. He was extremely controlling, any one that he thought could influence me to leave him, he made sure that I never hung out with them. He was jealous and a drunk, which would cause him to get in these sudden bouts of anger. He forced me to have sex, because if I didn't then he'd get angry. He attacked me a little over a month ago, I thought he was going to kill me by the way he was speaking. Upon all of that, my father was the same way to my mother." Ali explained. It was hard. She knew that this was Dr.Reese's job to hear what she had to say and help her to get through it in a healthy way, but it was still hard to say it to people. It was like that one dirty smudge on a trophy that you could get off.

Dr. Reese nodded as she wrote down a few things in her leather bound book. "How's your relationship with your father?"

"I took his side when I was younger and blamed my mom, although, my dad never once contacted me after they split. I haven't seen or heard from him in years, so I don't really have a relationship with him." Ali answered.

"And your mother? How are things with her?"

"They were terrible to tell the truth. I blamed her, and never once thought back. She tried to warn me about how Matthew was but I didn't want to listen. I stopped talking to her once I got into college, went all the way to Penn State. Despite how I treated her, she always tried to contact me to see how I was. A part of me was too embarrassed to tell her that she was right about Matthew. But last week, was the first time that we actually talked. We reunited over Christmas and it was great. Our relationship still needs work but we're more than happy to try." 

Dr.Reese continued writing with the occasional nod. "Back to your ex-husband, Matthew. Where is now?"

"He's in prison. He violated the restraining order I had against him which violated the deal he had with a judge." 

"Okay. How did Matthew make you feel? How do you feel even now that he's in prison?" Dr.Reese asked.

"He made me feel worthless and scared. I thought that I deserved the things he did to me and even now that he's gone, I still get scared a bit when I'm alone or taken by surprise." Ali said with downcasted eyes.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that I'm the first professional that you've gone to about this. But has there been someone that has been there for you throughout this entire ordeal."

"My girlfriend Ashlyn has been a strong force behind everything. There has been others but Ashlyn has been my rock since. I couldn't have asked for anyone better." Ali smiled at the thought of Ashlyn. 

Dr.Reese placed her notebook on her lap before looking directly at Ali. "This is going to sound very invasive, but tell me about you intimate life with Ashlyn. Have you two been intimate, or no, and how about recently?"

"Oh wow." Ali chuckled nervously. "I've been intimate with her, a lot because I wanted to with her, she made me feel comfortable. But I also I guess you could say I indulged in it because I wanted to reclaim my life sexually per say. But recently, I uh...We haven't been intimate for a little over a month."

"Can I ask why, you two haven't?"

Ali twiddled with her fingers before she finally spoke. "I feel...I feel dirty. After what Matthew did, I just feel dirty and I know I shouldn't. But my mind can't shut off the thought of bearing myself to her."

"Have you told her this?"

"No, but I've been trying to work up the courage to do so, but with everything that's been going on, I just put it on the back burner."

Dr.Reese wrote down something before speaking again. "Are you afraid of Ashlyn?"

"What? No, not in the slightest. I'm completely comfortable with her but my mind turns into shambles when I think about bearing myself to her. I want to but my mind is a very powerful thing and almost, if not always, wins out."

Dr.Reese wrote down something before pulling the silk book string to mark her place and closing the leather bound notebook. She placed it on the dark mahogany table next to her. "I have two things that I'd like for you to try. If that's fine?"

"Yes of course." Ali nodded eagerly.

"Well, first, I think it'd be great for you to find both your's and Ashlyn's intimacy again. Get close to her, go out for date nights, do whatever it is that makes you feel the want to be intimate with the woman that makes you comfortable. This is rekindling yall intimacy without any external factors, just the two of you." Dr.Reese suggested. "Also, talk to Ashlyn, she wants to know what's on your mind, and as your significant other, they'd want to know these kind of things. And don't set dates to be intimate, because that leads to expectations that aren't always fulfilled. Be spontaneous and honest."

"That sounds like a great idea. I like the thought of trying that."

"And the second idea I'd like you to try is keeping your thoughts in a journal. Everytime you feel like your mind is running rampart, whip out the journal and write away. And if you'd like, you could share it with family or your significant other. Sometimes it helps to talk to others after writing down what you were feeling." Dr.Reese finished with a soft smile. 

"I will definitely use these methods. Is it okay if I tell Ashlyn about all of this and bring her along later on?" Ali asked. 

"Of course it is. As long as you're comfortable with it, then Ashlyn is more than welcomed to accompany you." Dr.Reese answered. "Now I believe this is more than a good enough place to stop at for this time. I will see you in a week, okay?"

"Of course, next week it is." Ali agreed before picking up her coat and purse and saying goodbye to Dr.Reese.

●●●●●●

Ali walked into their home that smelled of delicious dinner. She placed her keys in the key bowl, coat on the hook and dropped her purse on the foyer table. She entered the kitchen to find Ashlyn dancing a little slowly to some music while stirring something in a pot. 

Ali wrapped her arms around her pitcher and felt her lean into her embrace. 

"Hey you. How'd it go?" Ashlyn asked as she turned off the stove before turning in her arms to place a kiss on her lips. 

"I think it went great but I would love to tell you about over dinner." Ali said on her lips. 

"I'm all ears."

Ashlyn finished up dinner with Ali's help. Ashlyn spoke a bit about how ridiculous her day out with the gals was, mainly because of Pinoe, Syd and Crystal. Ali explained all of what went on with her appointment with Dr.Reese. She especially went into depth about how she's been feeling sexually since what happened in Arizona. She made it clear that she was more than attracted to and comfortable around Ashlyn, but there was a mental hurdle that she hasn't been able to get over. Ashlyn admits that she did notice something was quite different but she fell the need to bring it up because she thought Ali would approach her with it. 

"I really did want to tell you but so many things were happening that I just kept pushing everything back." Ali admitted. 

Ashlyn nodded in understanding. "I get it. I just want from now on that these things are the front runner. No more waiting, and I hate to sound demanding but I want to be that person you can talk to. I want to hear whatever you have going through your mind. Let me be that person Al."

"I know and you're not demanding." Ali explained. "Dr.Reese said that I should try two things. I think they're great really." 

"Well shoot." Ashlyn smiled as she stood to collect their empty dishes.

Ali took the theirs glasses and followed after her. "She said I should get a notebook to write my thoughs and feelings into. She also thought it'd be a good idea to share it with you."

"Mmm souds good to me." Ashlyn nodded. "If it's okay with you, I'd love to see our hear what's on your mind every now and then."

"I definitely want to share it with you. Now the second thing is upping our intimacy." Ali said with a bit of blush on her cheeks. 

Ashlyn turned with raised eyebrows and a little goofy smile. "Oh are we?"

"We're going to do things that are intimate that lead to us having sex." Ali stated. "Although, I'll be in charge of all of it."

Ashlyn slid her hands from Ali's shoulders down to her hands before intertwining their fingers and pulling her in close to put their intertwined hands on her shoulders. "So you mean to tell me that I'm going to have my beautiful girlfriend trying to woo me to get in my pants?"

Ali gave her a playful incredulous look before nodding. "Something like that. But I want to give a heads up so you know. Nothing is set in stone, I'm going with flow, whatever happens, happens."

"Well-" Ashlyn leaned down and captured her lips in a quick but deep kiss before pulling back. "Let the games begin, baby."

"You're ridiculous." Ali chuckled. 

"I may be ridiculous, but you still have to woo me." Ashlyn said in her most pretentious tone she could muster. 

"Keep that up and you'll have blue balls for months."

Ashlyn gave her a look before kissing her once more. "I love our foreplay."


	37. You Wooed Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back, and no I did not forget about this story :D I've been battling school and some terrible allergies for a week now. So there was literally no time to write. But now my allergies are disappearing, so I have time to write! 
> 
> There is smut, people! ;) enjoy.

Ashlyn continued doing inclined dumbbell presses while watching Ali help out another player. Something was going on. Ashlyn had a feeling that whatever was going on was something good. Maybe because of the fact that all throughout the week Ali was making way more intimate passes at her, not sexually but leading up in a gradual way. Now it wasn't to say that they never kissed or cuddled before, but there was more meaning and understanding behind their embraces. Ashlyn of course always let Ali lead, she'd be lying if she didn't say she loved this more confident side of Ali.

Now as to why Ashlyn thought something good was going on, it was due to the fact that last night they fell asleep curled around each other and Ashlyn woke up to the most softest kisses running up her throat. The moment she had moaned softly, Ali intertwined their hands before kissing her deeply. They made out pretty heavily before Pinoe called saying her car broke down and she needed a ride to practice. It was hard for both women to pull away in order to get ready and get their friend.

So now here they were finishing up practice before they travel to Houston to face the Houston Aces. 

"That's all for today ladies, go a head and shower. Don't forget to visit Ali's office if you need it. If you lie, I'll put you through hell tomorrow." Marcus shouted to be heard over the clanks of the weights and machines.

Ashlyn was quick to grab her towel before giving Pinoe a few taps to finish her talk with Syd and Abby.

"C'mon Pinoe, let's go." Ashlyn said hurriedly as she watched Ali laugh and leave with Hope and Marcus. Pinoe gave her a look before slapping her hands away.

"What the hell is wrong with you Harris?" Pinoe asked before picking up her dirty towel.

Ashlyn was already halfway out the door when she yelled. "Just hurry up!" Ashlyn was in no way trying to be rude with her friend but the thought of being naked and close to her girlfriend, definitely outweighed Pinoe's feelings at the moment.

Ashlyn hopped in the shower and already started to scrub the dirt and sweat off her body even though the water was ice cold. She was already done with her shower and washing her hair when the curtains flew open and revealed Pinoe standing their with her hands on her hips. 

"Pinoe! Jeez dude!" Ashlyn yelled as she scrambled to cover herself with the loofah and soap suds.

Pinoe rolled her eyes. "Whatev Speedy Gonzalez, I'm not looking. Anyways, Andy called a players meeting so no rushy rushy for you." She said in a teasing way. 

"You ass." Ashlyn groaned as she yanked the curtain closed again. 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn dropped Pinoe off before driving back her place, it took a bit longer than Ashlyn's would've liked because Pinoe was being a complete wise-ass and going as slow as humanly possible to leave her Jeep. She pulled into her garage, closing it behind her and grabbing her sports bag. She was a bit irritated that she sweated even more at the players meeting because Andy wanted to do a few in-game demonstrations with them. 

Ashlyn dropped her bag in the corner of the doorway, "Babe I'm...Did I not pay the light bill?" Ashlyn asked with furrowed brows at the sight around her. The curtains were all drawn shut and there were candles all over any kind of surface top that would hold it, leaving the home with a relaxing subtle smell of jasmine. 

Ashlyn heard some noises so she made her way through the dining room and stopped in her tracks when she saw the table set up in a very romantic way with some staple foods that her grandma would make. 

"Holy crap. Babe this is amazing." Ashlyn said in awe.

Ali just gave her a little cheeky grin before kissing her soundly. She was still in her team polo shirt and khakis, with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She'd all but rushed home after she finished up recovery with a few players. She had to in order to surprise Ashlyn with this. 

"I'm glad you like it. I asked your grandma for a few recipes and tips a few days ago. I just feel like you've been doing so much for me-"

"Ali I love-"

Ali raised her hand to stop her. "I know that you will always be there for me, no matter what. But I want to take care of you too. So this is my way of showing that. Now I had to tweak some of your grandma's food because there is no way you're supposed to be eating that kind of food during the season."

"I love it Al, really." Ashlyn said with a kiss for emphasis. "But did you put three sticks of butter in the potatoes?" She asked with mock seriousness. 

"Not even one, now sit down so we can eat." Ali said with a pat to her stomach before sitting down. 

They finished up their Southern themed dinner before settling in the couch, practically molded together, to watch a little movie. Ali had gotten up on more than one occasion, much to Ashlyn's dismay but when she came back the last time, there was a certain undeniable force within her. 

Both women knew that between them was heavy sexual energy, and not putting that energy somewhere was definitely distracting. So when Ali turned to face Ashlyn and kissed her deeply, Ashlyn was quick to follow along. It became evident very quickly that both women could care less about the movie going on tv. They were moving in such synch with their movements that when Ali pulled back, Ashlyn nearly followed her, which would've made then fall off the couch. 

Ashlyn immediately missed Ali's lips on her own but when she saw a certain glint in Ali's eyes as she beckoned for her to follow her into the master bath, Ashlyn followed with any added ministrations. when the stepped into the bathroom the bathtub was completely filled with fragrant water and suds. Ashlyn's eyes darted to Ali when she saw her arms cross over before lifting them over her head and taking the shirt off with it. 

"I don't think you want to get in the bath with your clothes on?" Ali said with a hum in her voice but when she got a good look at the pitcher in front of her, she knew she was probably spacing out right now. So she crossed the space between them and took off Ashlyn's compression shirt before going to the drawstrings of her pants. "Strip babe." Ali informed before removing the rest of her own clothing and padding over to the tub. She was about to step inside when she felt Ashlyn's bare front press into her back. Ali's eyes closed at the touch and moaned at the feeling of soft lips on her shoulder. Ashlyn entered the tub first, to her surprise however, Ali sat across from her. 

"Baby-"

"Shhh," Ali smiled as leaned up on her knees and moved between the pitcher's open legs, cradling her cheeks, and joining their lips together. It wasn't long before Ali felt strong but soft hands trail up her sides before coming to rest gently on the underside of her breasts. The circles that her thumbs are rubbing into her skin, it's a clear sign of asking if it's alright to continue, which Ali eagerly allows. Ashlyn swallows the moan that Ali lets out the moment her hands covered her breasts.

They continued their heavy make out session with Ali practically in Ashlyn's lap and both women teeming with sexual frustration. Once the water got too cold for any of their liking, Ali was the first to rise from the tub and quickly but carefully help Ashlyn out. Ashlyn went to reach for their bath towels but Ali gave her arm a little tug.

"Towels can wait."

Ashlyn nodded dumbly with a goofy grin. She allowed Ali to pull her into the bedroom and push her onto the bed. The warm sheets were definitely welcomed as opposed to the cold air that hit their wet bodies. Ali trailed her fingers up Ashlyn's well muscled arms before slowly moving to straddle her, all the while keeping eye contact with a smoldering gaze. 

Ashlyn let out what sounded like a low rumbled groan. "You're beautiful."

"You make me feel beautiful." Ali answered before cupping her face and kissing her deeply. She pulled away to gesture for Ashlyn to move up to the pillows. She caught a few glances of her pitchers wet center and could barely contain herself as Ashlyn moved. Once her pitcher was in place, Ali all but pounced on her. Lips attached to her neck, nipping and sucking as her hand glided smoothly down into her wet folds and past the sensitive nub. She let one of her hands caress one of Ashlyn's breasts before placing soft kisses to the underside and making her way down to her center. 

"Oh god Al, just like that baby." Ashlyn said barely above a whisper as Ali took her clit into her mouth and pushed two fingers in with a slow pace. 

Ali didn't say much save for the gesture of looking up at Ashlyn as she sucked and licked her clit, causing Ashlyn to shudder out a moan. She up'd the speed of her thrust and moved to lay open mouthed kisses along her hips before going back to give attention to her clit. The sounds coming from Ashlyn's mouth and center were enough to get Ali more than aroused, almost to point where she felt like she was cuming herself. She was broken out of her trace as Ashlyn's breath hitched and her walls tightened over her fingers. 

"Baby I'm cuming, don't stop." Ashlyn panted with her eyes screwed shut, one hand wrenched in the sheets while the other found purchases in the dark locks of Ali's hair. She lifted her hips in time with Ali's thrusts, meeting them quite eagerly since each thrust hit her g-spot and deep. The harder Ali sucked on her clit, the closer she felt to her release. 

"C'mon baby." Ali quickly replaced her fingers with her tounge right before she heard and felt Ashlyn fall apart. She continued slow thrusts and strokes with her tounge, lapping up the sweet juices that ran through her folds. She felt Ashlyn give a shudder as she greedily lapped at her juices. She gave her clit another hard suck, which elicited a gasp from Ashlyn before resting her chin on the area where her thigh met her hip. She used her fingers to rub gentle circles in the opposite area as Ashlyn came down from her hard orgasm. "You okay, baby?"

Ashlyn slowly nodded her response as she took in deep gulps of air. "Get up here." Ashlyn mumbled as she sat up and pulled Ali into her lap and peppered kisses from behind her ear, down her jaw and to her breasts. Palming one while massaging and sucking on the other. 

"That feels amazing." Ali moaned as she watched her pitcher eagerly suck on her nipples. She ran her hand through the soft blonde hair, giving it a little push to move to the other nipple. 

Ashlyn repeated her gesture to the other nipple before flipping their positions so that Ali was now on her back. Ashlyn moved down to her center and have her a little nip and kiss on the soft skin if her pelvis. She spread Ali's glistening folds and gave a low groan. 

"Baby you're so wet."

Ali shifted on the pillows so she could see Ashlyn better. "It's all for you, Ash."

Ashlyn kissed the outside of her folds, "I haven't tasted you in so long." She mumbled before licking a broad stripe through her folds, collecting as much as her wetness she could. 

"Ahh Ash I need you so badly." Ali breathed as she felt her pitcher's tounge push into her while her thumb worked over her clit. She slipped both hands into the blonde hair beneath her. After not being intimate with Ashlyn for so long, she could already feel herself reaching her orgasm. However, when she felt like she was just about to reach it, Ashlyn pulled away despite her grip. 

"Ashlyn." Ali whined as she tried to direct her head back down to where she wanted it. 

Ashlyn out-muscled her and moved up her body, kissing her deeply while lazily rubbing circles into her clit. "You wanna cum, baby?"

"Yes, oh god yes. Make me cum, Ashlyn." Ali all but panted in her lips as she moved her hips up to find more pressure. 

Ashlyn removed her hand and turned Ali's body so they were essentially spooning, Ashlyn as the big spoon and Ali as the little. She hiked Ali's top leg over her legs so that she got easy access to her center, she also slipped her arm under her to coax Ali into turning her head for another deep kiss. Ashlyn moved her other hand over Ali's hip and straight down to her entrance, swirling her fingers around, getting them wet before slipping two fingers in right away due to her amount of wetness. She started a deep thrusting pattern that left Ali in complete moans and gasps of pleasure. 

"Baby more, I need another one." Ali moaned into their kiss while rocking her hips.

Ashlyn was more than happy to oblige as she slipped her third finger into Ali's tight heat. She continued her thrusts all the while kissing her neck and shoulder and pushing her front against Ali's ass to put some pressure on clit as she thrusts. She knew it had the desired effect when Ali's walls tightened and her breath speeded up. 

"I'm cuming Ash! Fuck!" Ali yelled as she gushed around three of Ashlyn's now slow but still deep thrusting fingers. She relaxed all of her weight into the woman behind her as she laid in post-orgasmic bliss.

Ashlyn removed her fingers before sucking them clean with a moan. "I think this goes in the book for our hottest love making session to date."

Ali nodded in agreement. "That was absolutely amazing."

"I missed being this close to you. But this was definitely worth the wait." Ashlyn said with a smile before kissing her softly. 

"I missed this too." Ali smiled back while tracing her fingers over her pitcher's tattooed arm. "I'm so glad that me and my mind were in synch and that I could just bear myself to you. I love you and being able to be this close and vulnerable with you is a feeling that goes beyond words."

"You just never seem to cease to amaze me." Ashlyn replied with a squeeze before pulling them back into the spooning position and kissing. She let out a small puff of air when she felt Ali deliberately grind her ass into her pubic bone. 

"I hate to be that horny school boy, but uh...you wanna go again?" Ashlyn said with her endearing, goofy, little smile. 

Ali smirked as she reached back to grab Ashlyn's ass. "Hell yes."


	38. Teasing and Diarrhea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes the title is pretty hilarious to me XD but you'll understand when you read it.

As the plane landed in Houston, the team knew this was going to be a tough two game series with the Houston Aces. The humid and dry air in combination with the extremely hot temperatures, was enough to let the Senators know that they were in for hell. 

They exited the plane and immediately groaned at the gust of dry heat hitting them right in the face. Andy looked as if he was right at home with weather. 

"Kill me now." Pinoe groaned. 

Tobin have her an odd and confused look, "You're from California, how aren't you used to this weather?"

Pinoe rolled her eyes and lugged her suitcase. "California has reasonable hot weather. Houston has hot weather that is suitable for only the devil. Get it now Tobs?"

"Stop complaining Pinoe. The weather's great!" Andy chortled before heading over to where their bus chauffeur waited.

"Yea because you Aussies are from hell's playpen." Pinoe grumbled and continued to dragher suitcase.

The team was soon surrounded by fans of all ages and genders, they stopped for a little bit until the had to leave. Ashlyn was trying her best not to go off on one female fan that continously took it upon herself to grab her ass everytime she leaned in for a picture with someone. Ashlyn shook her head as she climbed up the steps of the bus and took her usual seat next to Ali. 

"That fan literally wanted to fill her palms with your ass." Ali commented with humor laced within while her eyes never left her phone. 

Ashlyn leaned in next to Ali's ear, "Yea, well I can't wait to fill your pussy with my fingers." She said hotly before giving her girlfriend's now red cheek a kiss and leaning back into her own seat. 

Ali placed her phone in her lap before crossing her legs rather tightly and looking out the window. "You just had to say something didn't you." Ali wasn't in the least bit mad, she was however horny. Simple dirty talk from Ashlyn was always enough to make her wet. And with no outlet while they were on the bus, she'd have to settle for her thighs pressing hard together. 

"I could help you if want." Ashlyn teased. 

"Fuck off." Ali quipped which had Ashlyn chuckling. 

Ashlyn moved her hand to Ali's thigh before dragging her fingertips painfully slow up her thigh and to her Nike tights covered center. "I'm trying to fuck you but apparently you won't let me. It's dark enough, maybe I could-" 

Ali narrowed her eyes at girlfriend's hitched breath before snatching her hand off her tights. "Don't you say a word."

"Holy shit, I didn't think-" Ashlyn mumbled to herself while looking at her now wet fingertips. 

"Ashlyn." Ali warned sternly.

Ashlyn was about to speak until she jerked forward from her seat being kicked. 

"Shut the hell up Harris, some people didn't hibernate on the plane like you." Pinoe grumbled as she stuffed her earplugs back into her ears and pulled the brim of her Senator's cap over her eyes. 

Ashlyn reached back behind her seat and gave Pinoe a good whack on the head. "Can it grandma." 

Pinoe jumped up from her seat and started trying to slap any part of Ashlyn she could reach. Ashlyn took the more painful route and pinched, which had Pinoe howling in pain while trying to avoid the pitcher's merciless fingers. 

"Okay, okay I give." Pinoe yelled. "You touch your mother with those hands? They're like sandpaper."

Ashlyn gave her another whack before Andy, Abby or Hope chastised them for making too much noise. She turned her attention back to Ali and grinned. 

"Come by my room. I know the gals are gonna plan a movie night. That way I can help relieve-" Ashlyn's hands found her center again which caused Ali to let out a very soft moan. "Some of this tension."

Ali just bit her lip and nodded. She stayed quiet for quite a bit before releasing her lip to speak. "Text me and I'll be there."

Ashlyn grinned before leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Got it babe."

●●●●●●

Ashlyn connected their lips before Ali leaned back to lift her shirt off before throwing it to the floor and connecting their lips again. Ashlyn was on her back in just her tight boxer briefs whereas the only piece of clothing Ali used to have on was her shirt which was now somewhere on the floor. 

"We don't have a lot of time, Abby took forever to leave. Not to mention how long it took for you to get here." Ashlyn stated as she sucked hard on Ali's pulse, making sure to leave a dark mark. 

Ali moaned softly and dragged her nails down the strong muscles of Ashlyn's tight abdomen. "You try leaving when you have to collaborate on training tomorrow. Unless you want to cramp out in the heat?" She finished with a raised eyebrow. 

"Hmm the only heat I want is down here." Ashlyn said on her lips while two of her fingers spread Ali's already wet folds to gather some of her wetness to rub circles into her clit. 

Ali dropped her head to Ashlyn's shoulder, breathing heavily. "Oh god, you always know where I want you."

"Because I know you." Ashlyn said softly. She rubbed harder circles into her clit. Ali lifted her head up from her shoulder the moment she heard her phone vibrate. Marcus face, along with other staff members popped up on her screen, signaling a group chat message. 

"You've gotta be kidding me." Ali grumbled before sitting back on Ashlyn's hips. 

"C'mere Al." Ashlyn leaned up quickly to regain bodily contact but Ali pushed her back down with a smirk. 

 

"Lay down baby, I'm gonna take care of both of us." She smirked before giving her pitcher a very deep kiss. She maneuvered their bodies so that she had one thigh on top of Ashlyn's, Ali's other leg was bent at the knee and she placed Ashlyn's other thigh atop hers. Ashlyn was watching her with darkened hazel eyes complete with a lust driven gaze. Ali just smirked before leaning down to capture her soft lips in a hot but sloppy kiss. Ashlyn reached up to hold Ali's face down to her own before slipping her tounge into her mouth. She was quickly reduced moans as Ali's hands trailed down to spread her folds before pressing her hips flat against Ashlyn's. Ali moved her hips in a test but when both women moaned rather loudly at the wet friction of both their clits rubbing.

"Oh fuck, that's...keep going Al. That's it baby." Ashlyn breathed encouragement on Ali's lips. 

Ali lightly bit Ashlyn's bottom lip as her words of encouragement spurred her hips to move faster. "Ah Ash, harder." She moaned into her mouth as Ashlyn's hands flew straight to her ass to grab a cheek in each. When the pitcher complied to her want, Ali pressed down harder for more on pleasure for the both of them. 

Ashlyn continued to knead the toned area of Ali's ass as her thoughts were completely scattered by a swirl of pleasure. She felt her release coming harder than she ever thought. She used her grip on Ali's ass to move her hips faster as she leaned up to latch onto her throat. She sucked hard as her orgasm hit her hard, she continued to move Ali's hips against her own to help herself down before her arms dropped down to her side. 

"Did you cum baby?" Ashlyn sat up and fixed their bodies so that Ali was straddling her waist. She went straight to her neck to nip, kiss and suck whatever skin her lips would reach. She chuckled softly when she felt Ali's hand tangle into her hair and give it a little tug, effectively pulling her head back.

Ali's eyes were dark enough for Ashlyn to know that she hadn't reached her orgasm, and Ashlyn wasn't one to keep it from her. 

"You damn well know the answer to that question." Ali mumbled while she raised her hips before sinking down on the fingers Ashlyn slipped under her and near her folds. "I love you like this. You're so close to me." She stated while bouncing up and down on the pitcher's long fingers. She tilted Ashlyn's head back to kiss her briefly before breaking the kiss to pull Ashlyn's head into her chest. 

Ashlyn pushed her gave deeper into her chest before picking an already pert pink nipple and sucking hard with a little teeth. She moved her hips as well to get as deep as she could. Ali rode her fingers rather hard, she kept going until she felt the undeniable tightness in her belly. 

"Fuck fuck, baby I'm cuming. More, god I need more." Ali moaned out in a rushed tone as she came undone on the pitcher's fingers. She held Ashlyn's head to her chest as she slowly moved her hips to come down. 

Once Ali heard muffled sounds of Ashlyn's chuckles, she remembered she practically smashed Ashlyn's face to her breasts. "Oopsies."

"Don't worry about that babe," She kissed her sternum with a smile. "So is this going to help me beat Houston tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Ali replied before threading her fingers through the blonde hair. She gently but firmly tugged her head back and kissed her deeply. "Was that enough of a good luck ceremony for my Green Giant?"

"More than. This is my new pre-game." Ashlyn nodded enthusiastically but when Ali snorted, Ashlyn shook her head. "Nuh huh babe, I'm serious. Because this was mind blowing." 

Ali leaned down to give her a slow and hard kiss before patting her chest and getting off the bed. "We'll see. Anyways, I have to get going to finalize some things with Marcus."

"I hate Marcus." Ashlyn pouted before grabbing her loose fleece joggers and slipping them on. She moved around the room looking for her sports bra and shirt. 

"No you don't." Ali tossed the desired clothing to the pitcher before straightening her own and grabbing her phone. "And I suggest you tell the gals to head to sleep, seeing as how your game is in the morning and yall are going to have early morning training before hand."

"Ugh these morning games. Why do yall do it to us?"

Ali smirked before turning back to her. She pulled her in as she ghosted her lips over Ashlyn's. "So then I can come by in the evening to have some one on one time with you after you crush Houston." She finished with a peck.

Ashlyn held her close for a deeper kiss before allowing her to leave. "I love that woman."

Ali popped her head back in the room, "Oh yea, don't order from that Thai restaurant that I know you and Pinoe want to try. I'll know if you do so don't do it." She stated before leaving down the hallway.

Ashlyn shrugged and grabbed her phone before texting Pinoe that she was coming down to watch the movie and bringing food.

●●●●●●

"Bout time Harris", Pinoe barked as she took the Thai food from the pitcher. Everyone else were eating various kinds of take-out, so it was basically like a buffet kind of movie night.

"Yea yea fatty, take your food and eat." Ashlyn replied with a mouth full of stir fry noodles.

Abby shook her head at the two. "Yall are like bickering animals. Now am I done being sexiled from our room?"

"I never sexiled you, I simply waited for you to leave." Ashlyn shrugged.

"Can you guys hmmm I don't know, shut up. We're trying to watch a movie if yall couldn't tell." Syd bit out.

"It's Bridesmaids, not a murder mystery." Pinoe teased. "I know you want to plan your wedding with Dom around this, but damn girl." 

Syd flipped her off and turned back to her food. "I hope you get diarrhea Pinhead."

"Love you too boo boos." Pinoe grinned and kissed the crown of her head.

"Messes, so many messes in the room." Hope laughed and turned up the tv so everyone could watch. 

By the end of the movie, Ashlyn and Pinoe had been battling for the restrooms. 

"You jinxed me Syd!" Pinoe yelled from behind the bathroom door.

"I did not! Pinoe, I didn't actually want you to have diarrhea!" Syd yelled back with a bottle of Peptobismol. "What did you and Ash eat?"

"Fucking Thai food man." Pinoe groaned.

"Well from the sound of it, Ash isn't doing so well either. You hanging in there Ash? Want me to call Ali?"

"Noo! She told me not to buy it and I didn't listen to her. If you tell her, she'll know." Ashlyn yelled out. 

"She warned you and you didn't listen!" Pinoe yelled wide eyed. "When I get off this toilet, I'm gonna kill you Harris."

"I just thought she busting my balls-"

"I'll bust them for you." Pinoe cut in with a hint of a smile. 

Ashlyn snickered, "This is awkward as hell. We're idiots."

"Yall are!" Syd called out. "Who would've think they'd put two toilets in one bathroom."

"This might be our final resting place." Pinoe joked. 

"Can we have that medicine now, Syd?" Ashlyn asked. 

The door opened quickly and in came the bottle of medicine with the door shutting just as quickly. "Night guys!"

"Night Syd!"


	39. Annihilate  the Aces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday everyone :D

Pinoe took the plate and gave a little grin as she watched the pitcher wind up and by the looks of it, the Houston pitcher was going for the typical first strike, a fast pitch. The moment the baseball left her fingertips, Pinoe put all her strength into her swing, connecting with great precision before tossing her bat and running. 

"You can put it on the board!" Pinoe whooped as the ball was still sailing in the air and she ran the bases. The ball just sailed over the dividers and into the crowd. Pinoe ran to home plate before doing a little Irish feet tap. She jogged into the dugout and earned a few hard slaps on the head. 

"Cocky little shit." Andy chastised but with a grin on his lips. 

The rest of the team gave her praise as Syd grabbed her helmet and bat before going up to bat. She checked her swing a few times before tapping it on home plate and readying her swing. The Houston pitcher caught her with a curve ball, earning the first strike of the game. Syd was able bunt a very hard fast ball to her left and use her speed to slide onto first base.

The top of the inning ended a little too quickly for Ashlyn's liking. The scoreline was still 1-0 for the Senators. Nonetheless she grabbed her glove and cap, she saw Ali try to gain eye contact but she didn't connect it. Instead, she grabbed an extra piece of bubblegum and jogged up the steps slowly. She took the mound and nodded to a rather worried looking Whitney. 

Ashlyn wasn't worried about facing the Aces, they scouted them pretty heavily beforehand. She was however worried about her own health. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before throwing her first pitch of the game. The Houston batter tried to swing for it but completely missed. With that miss, Ashlyn's confidence soared and she continued to pitch a perfect inning. Whitney pulled her aside as they went over to warm up area. 

"Hey, are you okay? You're looking a little green." Whitney asked as her hand went up to feel her best friend's forehead. 

Ashlyn shook Whit's hands away and grabbed some baseballs. "I'm perfectly fine. It's just this damn heat."

"Maybe I should call Ali or the medic, dehydration is no joke."

Ashlyn snorted before throwing a hard fast ball into the cushioned wall of the warmup area. "Don't waste your breath, I said I'm fine."

Whitney gave a look before nodding and devising their second inning plan. By the time they made their way back to the dugout both Tobin and Moe were already on 3rd and 1st base. Hope was on the mound, Andy was already mumbling how they were about to score two runs because of Hope. However, when Hope got her 2nd strike which would be the first of the 2nd inning, Andy nearly yelled from his place in the dugout. 

Senators' fans that traveled down to Houston roared loudly when they saw Hope's bat connect with the ball in a textbook way, sending a hard driven ball past all of Houston outfielders. Tobin scored a run that out the Senators up 2-0,and then with Moe making a hard run towards home plate, and just beat the Houston catcher that with an extra second would've tagged Moe out. However, Moe was too quick and put the Senators up 3-0.

The Senators were leading the game, there was no doubt about it. By the end of the bottom of the 4th, Ashlyn was feeling a bit out of it when she struck out the last Houston batter. Her body felt lethargic and when she grabbed a bottle of gatorade to drink, she nearly vomited on the dugout floor. With all the noise and bustle in the stadium, no one heard nor paid attention to her. She instead took a towel, dunked it in the ice water they had in a large gallon and placed it over her face while sitting.

"Ash, go up with Whit and continue practicing. We need you sharp all game." Andy stated over his shoulder. 

Ashlyn gave a weak "got it coach" while standing to exit the dugout. Ali stopped her on her way out and whispered. 

"Ash, you don't look too good. I know something is wrong." 

Ashlyn moved from her grip and continued to walk out. Ali tugged her back once more. 

"Ashlyn please, let me help." She pleaded, but her words fell on deaf ears when Ashlyn once again moved out of her hold with nothing more than quick glance. She sighed and turned to lean on the practice wall to watch. It was hard to watch the woman she loves look off and not be am outlet of comfort for her. She knew why Ashlyn was angry but she expected her to understand and support her decision. 

The Senators finished the top of the 5th inning with another run by JJ, putting the score up 4-0. Ali watched as Ashlyn and Whit got last minute instructions from the pitching coach. Every fiber of her being wanted to force her to stop and just listen but she knew that Ashlyn was too headstrong to listen right now. And as she saw her make a rather painful looking jog to the mound, Ali knew she had to do something. 

Ashlyn felt tired, her limbs that usually she lifted and moved with ease, felt like sandbags. She let out a long drawn out breath before setting up her pitch and throwing an okay ball that surprisingly got her a strike. Whitney gave her a concerned look but Ashlyn just tipped the brim of her cap before winding up again. Only this time her pitch was off, way off and it nailed the batter right in the shoulder.

"Harris! Focus!" Andy yelled and smacked the dugout barricade. The umpire came out to give Ashlyn an extremely stern warning before allowing the Houston batter to walk to first base. 

Whitney mouthed "Get your head in the game" as she pulled the catcher's helmet back over her face and crouched down. She made gestures for the next pitch which Ashlyn agreed to. Ashlyn got into her stance and threw a hard curve ball that forced the batter to swing, giving her a strike. A surge of confidence went through Ashlyn before she threw another pitch but it was weaker than what she expected. The Houston batter hit a hard ground ball straight past a diving Crystal and far into the outfield. Pinoe and Alex both scrambled in the outfield to grab the lone ball but the Aces were able to get their first run of the game and the other batter on second before the ball was back in the infield. 

The Senator's pitching coach jogged out the pitcher's mound and whispered instructions between Ashlyn and Whit before heading back to the dugout. Ashlyn steadied herself as she felt a wave of nausea washed over her, she felt like she needed to dry heave. She swallowed back whatever tried to come up, wiped her forehead with her forearm before gripping the baseball and squinting at Whit. She nodded at what she thought she saw Whit suggest before throwing a pitch that felt wrong the moment it left her fingertips. The Houston batter connected more than well on the pitch and sent the ball flying. Ashlyn spinned around to watch its flight, but felt off balance because of turning too quickly. She heard the crowd roar with cheers and knew a two run homer was hit, making the scoreline 4-3 with the Senators still leading. She crouched down to get her bearings before actually dry heaving on the mound.

The umpire called for a halt of the game as both Andy and pitching coach came on the field.

"Harris you're out." Andy bit out with a hard pat to her back. 

Ashlyn turned to protest but the look of sheer frustration kept her mouth closed and had her standing and making her way to dugout. Her teammates patted her on the back as she ripped off her cap and dropped down onto the bench as she watched another pitcher take her place on the mound. 

Andy stalked into the dugout and pointed to Ashlyn, "Get down to the medical room and figure out what's wrong."

Ashlyn nodded before making her way to the recovery room where the medic and Ali assessed her. Ashlyn didn't say one word but was surprised when Ali also said nothing. When they finished, Ashlyn sat up and waited for their diagnosis. 

"Well Ali, it's a good thing you told Andy that she was looking off." The team medic spoke as he wiped his hands. Ashlyn's eyes snapped up to Ali, however, Ali wasn't giving her any attention. "Harris you've got food poisoning and you're dehydrated, most likely because you can't keep anything down. You can't continue, you're done for today." He informed before leaving the room. 

"You had Andy pull me!?" Ashlyn spoke, absolutely livid. 

Ali bit her lip before responding. "You were drowning out there and you know it. You may be angry with me but don't drag the entire team down."

"I was fine! I didn't need-"

"Ashlyn shut up! You were not fine and you know it! Now get over it!" Ali yelled back. She grabbed a bottle of Gatorade with some pills and shoved them into her girlfriend's arms. "Take the pills and sip that slowly." She turned on her heels and left the recovery room. 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn watched as the game ended 5-4 in favor of the Senators. The players shook hands and said words of sportsmanship before heading down to the locker room. Andy was giving everyone a firm talking to, once he finished up he called both Ali and Ashlyn to a side office and closed the door.

"You want to tell me what the fuck happened out there. The fact that I have to hear from Ali that you're probably sick, infuriates me. That you couldn't tell me yourself that you weren'tfeeling fine. You nearly jeopardized the ENTIRE team today with that stunt you pulled. And for what?!" Andy yelled. 

"Andy I didn't mean to do that I just." Ashlyn spoke with her head down. 

"Look at me Harris, I deserve that much from you."

Ali's eyes flickered over to Ashlyn who looked completely conflicted. "Ashlyn is angry with me because of a decision I made. And because of that she didn't want to take any help from me and that meant not admitting to me or anyone that she wasn't feeling good."

Andy nodded, "Well then. Harris, you're on the bench for the next few games until you can prove to me that you can keep your head in the game. I don't have a problem with the two of you dating but what I do have a problem with is this. Fix it or I will." With that Andy left the room. 

"Ash-"

"Great just fucking great. Now I'm benched, you see why I didn't agree with what you're doing because it messes with my head. I can't think knowing that you're going to visit that piece of shit!" Ashlyn yelled in complete frustration. 

"That has nothing to do with it Ash, and you know it. You're sick, after I told you not to eat that Thai food and now you want to use that phone call this morning as a reason to ice me out. I had to tell Andy before you hurt yourself." Ali replied. 

Ashlyn rubbed her hand over her face and stood. She brushed past Ali and headed towards the locker room. 

"Ash don't walk away." Ali pleaded. "Can we just talk about it?"

"Just leave me alone for right now." Ashlyn spoke.

"Ashlyn." Ali called out. "I don't regret my decision, you need to understand that. But what I'm-"

Ashlyn spinned on her heels and gave her an extremely hard look. "Well that's fucking great. He fucked up your life, now you're going to fuck up mine. Thank you for that shit." She spat before slamming the door as she left.

Ali bit her lip to stop any tears that might spill because of the pitcher's words. She sighed quietly to herself before cleaning up and leaving to head to the buses. 

●●●●●●

Ashlyn looked absolutely surly add she packed her clothing. They were leaving tonight and that meant being on another bus and plane with Ali before they'd be stuck in the same home. Ashlyn knew she'd said something hurtful but her angry mind wasn't even giving her a glimpse at a thought of an apology. 

The moment she heard the door open, she knew Abby was going to talk to her.

"Ash, whatever is going on between you and-" Abby raised her hand to quiet the pitcher before continuing. "Whatever's going on between you and Ali needs to be solved. I'm sure Andy already gave you a talking to but you're also going to hear it from me."

"It's nothing Abby. I'll figure it out, just give me some time." Ashlyn replied while zipping up her bag. 

Abby looked at her with a look of understanding but shook her head. "It's not nothing, Ash. What happened today has never happened in all my years of playing with you."

"It was a mistake."

"No it wasn't. Whatever is making you angry is messing with this team. It's messing with your head and compromising everyone with you. Andy told us about you being benched for a while, so you have some time to think. Use it wisely."

"I will Abbs." Ashlyn said and picked up her suitcase before leaving with the older woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said we'd be smooth sailing but ummm yea...... /.\


	40. Goodbye Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter where it's explained ;)

The entire bus ride back to the hotel was nothing short of a cold war. Ali wanted to resolve the tension between the two of them despite the words that Ashlyn flung at her, whereas Ashlyn was content on ignoring her. Their flight back to DC was tonight and Ali knew that Ashlyn would find a way to keep up this behavior. 

As Ali packed up her belongings, she sent a few texts to Ashlyn, hoping for a reply from the pitcher. But as the time drew on, Ali couldn't help but feel disappointed. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when her phone actually vibrated with a notification, however, when it wasn't from the desired contact, she nearly thought about smashing her phone against the hotel wall. 

It was nothing short of a surprise when they landed in DC and the last words spoken between the couple was after the game. They were in their bedroom unpacking when Ali decided to break the silence. 

"We have to talk about this. You can't just ignore me like this, it's not fair." Ali stated. 

Ashlyn snorted and rolled her eyes. Ali's question ticked her off and she was waiting to let her know. "Because you don't get it. After everything Matthew had done to you, after all the progress that we've had as a couple, you still can't fathom as to why I'm angry? That alone makes me mad."

"I'm not doing this to purposely hurt you Ash. I need to do this for myself, that's all." Ali explained. "I know you don't like it but I didn't expect you to treat me like this."

"Because you're ex-husband is in jail bitching for you to visit him. I don't get why you're even giving him the time of day! It's disrespectful to me, you, everyone that's helped you and our relationship! It makes me feel like us as a couple doesn't mean shit to you! That somehow, no matter what, your ex-husband will always come first between us! That's how I feel!" Ashlyn closed her dresser with a considerable amount of force before leaving the room with Ali close on her heels. 

"That's not how I feel Ash-"

"I need to think, by myself." Ashlyn grabbed her keys and left. She was angry and didn't want to say something again that she'd regret. She just needed to time to think and process her thoughts some more. Her frustration was reaching an all-time high, but more so it was the deep pangs of pain that flashed through her being as she continued to think about Ali's decision. 

●●●●●●  
 **Yesterday Morning**

_"Al, your phone's ringing." Ashlyn said as she slipped on her tight boxer shorts. They just finished what they would say was their hottest shower sex to date, other than the time Kyle walked in on them in the office. She was grateful that Abby usually always left their hotel rooms to call her wife, which generally took a good amount of time._

_"Just get it for me." Ali yelled over the water from the shower head._

_Ashlyn hummed a tune to herself while flipping over the phone to see Danica's number on the screen. "Hey Danica, what's up?" They weren't expecting a call from the attorney, so she could only imagine what this could be for._

_"Good morning, Ashlyn. Although, it might not be in a moment." Danice stated. "I've been receiving calls and requests from Matthew's lawyer. Matthew's been requesting for Ali to visit him in prison."_

_Ashlyn leaned on the dresser in complete confusion. Her eyes drifted to the bathroom where Ali was showering and hoped that she could finish this call without ruining her day, which news about her dick head of an ex-husband was bound to do. "I don't...I don't get it. What do you mean?"_

_"He wants...he wants her to visit him in prison. Says that he needs to see her." Danica explained further. She didn't like being the messenger of bad news but it was her job to inform the couple of anything that Matthew and his lawyer tried to do. "Now I want you and Ali both to know that you don't have to go. It's not an obligation for either of you."_

_"I know that and-" Ashlyn felt arms go around her waist and soft lips on her neck. Ali's scent permeated her senses before she even spoke a word._

_"Who's calling?"_

_"Danica's on the line, apparently Matthew wants you to visit him all the way in prison." Ashlyn said with absurdity in her tone. She was ready to just tell Danica that they weren't going to need to hear anything else, because they weren't going to waste their time. However, when saw Ali biting her lip, something she did whenever she was thinking. Ali reached out her hand to take her phone before sitting on the bottom of the hotel bed._

_"Hey Danica, Ashlyn just told me what's going on. Could you explain it to me some more." Ali asked while fiddling with the loose strings of fabric on the hotel towel._

_The silence that hung in the bedroom was enough to let an infant sleep quite peacefully. Ashlyn couldn't tell what was being said other than the nods and hums that Ali made, however, when the question "What day and time would I have to be there at?" left Ali's mouth, Ashlyn's jaw dropped in utter disbelief._

_Ali nodded to herself as she ended her call with Danica. She knew once she hung up, she was gonna have to explain herself, knowing full well that Ashlyn would want answers._

_"I agreed to visit him-"_

_"Why? He doesn't deserve anything from you, let alone a prison visit. The only he deserves is to be someone's prison bitch, so then he'd know how it fucking feels to be mistreated!" Ashlyn reasoned._

_Ali stepped closer to her pitcher and wrapped a hand around her bicep, hoping to soothe the clearly angry woman in front of her. "Ash, please I don't want to agrue about this. You have a game today and we can talk about it after. I'm not doing this to hurt you, I would never. I just need to-"_

_Ashlyn removed her arm from Ali's light hold and tightened her fists. "You should go. They're gonna need help since it's game day." She bit out._

_"Ash."_

_"Get dressed and go Ali, I don't want to keep you waiting. You've already made your decision. What more is there to talk about." Ashlyn answered quickly, wanting this conversation to be over. When Ali made no move to leave, Ashlyn yanked on her team warm ups much to Ali's surprise, and left._

●●●●●●

It was no surprise that the days after, followed the exact same pattern. A completely withdrawn girlfriend that added nothing but snippy comments and the cold shoulder. Ali began to wonder if she'd ever be forgiven by the blonde. Their nights consisted of Ali going to sleep by herself because Ashlyn was camped on the couch watching whatever was on. Some nights she'd come to bed, other nights Ali just didn't know. 

The day of the prison visit was the worst. Ashlyn was already out of the house without so much of a note. They really hadn't talked since Ashlyn yelled and stormed out. Whenever Ali tried to broach the topic, it just brought up waves of tears, yells and frustration that would carry on for the rest of the day and probably into the next. 

Ali wiped the exhaustion from her face and got ready. She decided on plain blue skinny jeans, white blouse and a less formal blazer. She made sure she had her ID and everything else she'd need to enter the prison. 

She entered the kitchen and prepared a quick breakfast knowing that she was going to be very tight on time. When she started pouring the coffee from the pot and into her mug, a very sweaty Ashlyn came through the front door. 

"Hey, good morning." Ali smiled softly. She didn't want to get into the draining arguments that they usually did, she just wanted peace this morning. She slid a bottle of water and a plate of the eggs and a bagel with cream cheese over to her.

Ashlyn accepted the food and sat at the high kitchen counter. "Thank you. So it's today huh?" She knew fully well that it was today, she didn't understand why she even bothered torturing herself by asking. 

"Yes, it's today." Ali sipped her coffee before placing the mug down. They waited in baited silence while they ate their breakfast. Ali wanted to know if there was a chance that Ashlyn might come with her, as a pillar of support. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me...you know to the prison?" 

"I really have no desire to go. You know exactly how I feel about this and you made your decision without even caring about my feelings. So go. Go do whatever it is that's so important to you. Because apparently Matthew is fucking important. Who would've thought that gutless pig would still be something to you." Ashlyn bit out before pushing back out of the seat, it making a loud scraping sound against the tiles as she left the kitchen to head into the bedroom. 

Ali just nodded numbly to herself before taking her car keys. She willed herself not to succumb to the tears that pleaded with her after so long of their frustrating days to finally be let out. So instead, she grabbed a small notepad and wrote a note on it for Ashlyn, so she'd know when she'd return. She took one last glance towards their bedroom before leaving. 

●●●●●●

The drive up to the prison was a lot harder than Ali initially thought. She felt small compared to the large plain walls of the correctional facility. She gave small polite smiles to the workers as they moved her through the facility before bringing her to the visitor's area. However, the room was set up like a telephone room, a split room with a hard, clear plastic screen that allowed you to see the inmate as you spoke into the phone. 

She sat in the stall allotted to her before wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans. She hears the buzz of the doors and before she knows it, Matthew is in her view. He looks so much different than the last time she saw him. His beard had grown out some more, the firm body that he had before was now lighter looking. His face looked worn, tiredness etched into his features and posture. He looked terrible, absolutely terrible. 

Ali picked up the phone as she saw an unmistakable glint of happiness in his eyes. He didn't seem to be confined by shackles or chains. He reached for the phone, his eyes still connected with her own. 

"Matthew...hi." Ali said, not knowing how else to greet the man. 

A large grin split across his face as he heard her voice. "Oh Alex. My Alex is here. You see I told them, I told all of them that you didn't put me in this place and that you were coming to get me out. This was all just a misunderstanding. I can't wait to go home to you again baby, I miss you so much."

"Matthew stop, please." Ali couldn't take his rambling, and she was only here for one thing, to finally close the chapter on Matthew. To allow both her mind and heart to see where her courage put him. To see that he would never interfere again with her life. She wanted him to know that she was happier now, that she moved on and reunited with her mother. That she had friends and strength. That she wasn't damaged goods, that she could stand up to the same person she originally believed to have broken her down to nothing. She wanted him to know that there was no place for him anywhere in her life nor others. 

"Matthew, I'm here to say goodbye. And to tell the truth, you don't even deserve that from me. But I need to tell you this. I'm happy, I'm in love with an amazing woman. I have friends and a relationship with my family again. I'm no longer afraid of you nor submissive to you. It was not a mistake that you're here, it was an act I should've done years ago. I am not 'your Alex', I am nothing to you, as are you nothing meaningful to me." Ali said as her grip tightened on the phone. The words flowing from her lips with confidence, though she never practiced saying them. 

"Whatever befalls you inside these four walls is because of your own actions, and I don't feel bad for you nor do I sympathize with you. My life has moved on and I'm done with you. This is the last time you will ever hear from our see me. Goodbye Matthew." Ali said as she hung the phone back on the side of the wall to the receiver. 

His face immediately washed over with red. "Don't you fucking leave Alex! Don't leave me here please! I'll be better, I promise, I'll be a better man, partner, husband, please just get me out of here, I'm begging you." Matthew called out to her as his eyes filed with tears and his weak fists banged on the hard plastic wall. 

Months ago if he begged her, she would've went against everything that was common sense and give in to his wishes. But now. Now she was washing her hands from Matthaw Evans. A name, a face, a thought, a person she'd never have come into her life again. She was done. 

She drove the entire way back home. The trip to the prison wasn't exactly a short one, so although she left in the late morning, she didn't get back until late afternoon. She expected Ashlyn to be there, seeing as how they were having a free week of no games. During this time, practice was generally limited to whatever the players felt like doing it, as long as they kept up their match fitness up. 

Ali tried calling or texting Ashlyn but everything seemed to go straight to voice-mail or no answer. So she left a voice-mail. 

"Ash...babe I'm back from the prison. I did what I needed to do, and I really want us to talk when you get back. I'm cooking dinner right now so whenever you see this, just give me a call. Bye, I love you and please be safe." Ali said before hanging up. She went into the kitchen and made a light dinner. She left it in the oven to stay hot while waiting for Ashlyn to call or come back. After waiting nearly an hour, Ali went ahead and ate. She gave herself enough time to shower and get ready for bed. As she laid in bed, she wondered if she really was still happy with the glaring cold empty place next to her physically, and the empty feeling in her heart.


	41. Let's Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the resolution! :D Now I'm off for the weekend ;)

Ashlyn stood in the indoor training facility that the team used quite frequently because of the Maryland weather. She'd been there for nearly two hours practicing her pitches with Whit. Although she was benched for a few games, she still wanted to stay sharp. Not to mention whenever she needed to get things off her mind, two things were needed, her best friend and baseball. 

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Whit asked as she caught another particularly hard pitch from the blonde. 

"I don't want to talk about it." Ashlyn grunted as she threw another hard and fast pitch. 

Whitney decided to dodge it rather than catch it. She pulled a ball from the ground and nailed Ashlyn in the side lightly but hard enough to get her attention. "Dammit Ash, tell me what's going on. Because you've been trying to break my hand for the past two hours and I'd at least like to know what I signed up for."

Ashlyn sighed and plopped down onto the ground. She ran a hand through her hair before indulging her best friend. "Ali's attorney called about Matthew-"

"Is everything okay?"

"Whit." Ashlyn whined. 

She held up her hands in surrender and allowed her to continue. "I'm sorry, go on."

"She called telling us that that asswipe wanted Ali to visit him. Now I'm over here thinking I could just tell Danica that we weren't interested in anything like that but lo and behold, Ali comes in and completely agrees to it. Like it doesn't even warrant a conversation between the two of us. As if Matthew is the glue holding our relationship together, therfore he has to come first. I mean, is he really that important?!" Ashlyn yelled in frustration and threw a hard pitch right into the wall. 

"God Whit, I never thought I'd have to compete with the man that tormented her. I was fine helping her get better, helping us, but this...this hurts right to the damn core." Ashlyn admitted in a despondent tone before sitting on the turf.

"Ash you know darn well that you will never have to compete with Matthew when it comes to Ali." Whit looked down at her more than dejected friend. She bent down before taking a seat next to her. "Have you guys talked about it? Maybe there's some misunderstandings. I mean there has to be a reason for her decision, I doubt she did it to hurt you Ash."

Ashlyn shook her head while picking pointlessly at the turf. "We didn't. I shut her out, I didn't give her the chance to explain because I'm so angry." She tapped her fists into the plastic surface. "She didn't consider me, Whit. After everything we've been through, she didn't even ask for my opinion."

"Ash, I get why you're angry and believe me I can understand why. But Ash, you can't do that. You can't push her away because you're hurt. If you need time to think then that's fine, but don't push each other away." Whit supplied. She saw Ashlyn try to interrupt and held up a hand to stop her. "Ali should've talked to you before making a decision, that much is common sense. However, what's also common sense is you talking to Ali, and allowing her to talk rather than giving her the negative third degree."

Ashlyn sighed rather loudly and threw another ball at the wall. "I screwed up didn't I?"

"Ash, no. You both made mistakes but no one screwed up. You two really need to talk, okay." Whit stated as she took Ashlyn's hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"No I did screw up. I said something horrible to her before we left Houston. I told her that she's fucking up my life because Matthew screwed up hers" Ashlyn said with shame etched all over her face. The moment the words left her lips, Whitney drew away from her before smacking her hard across the head. 

"Ashlyn Michelle Harris. I don't care how angry you are, you do not say that, especially to the woman you love, who also endured that stuff. You need to apologize, swallow your hurt and anger, and apologize for what you said before yall talk." Whit all but commanded. 

Ashlyn nodded, "I know Whit. I fell like an ass."

"As you should for saying it, but the both of you need this talk because you both wronged each other somehow. So talk it out and resolve this." Whitney explain before giving her another hug. Almost immediately, Ashlyn's stomach rumbled and the blonde ducked her head down with a blush. 

"Let's get you some lunch champ, then I'm taking you back home straight to Ali. Got it?" 

Ashlyn smiled softly and nodded. "After lunch can we do a little more practice? I just want to get my thoughts in order, you know. For the past few days I was just releasing on her with no second thought and I don't want to do that again. I don't want to hurt her again." 

"Okay, I hear you loud and clear Harris."

●●●●●●

Ashlyn came into their home later than she expected. She wanted to get her thoughts right and she did, she was going to apologize. Not because it was what needed to be done but because she wanted to, her heart knew she wanted to. Her words from a few days ago were more than disgusting, same for her attitude and treatment towards Ali, and she wanted to make up for it. She dropped her keys in the key bowl and shrugged off her coat before hanging it in the foyer closet along with her boots. 

She could smell what was probably leftovers from dinner and felt guilty for not calling Ali when she saw all the missed messages after her practice with Whitney. She took the leftovers from the oven, wrapped them up and stuck them in the fridge before making her way up to their bedroom. Ali's sleeping form was enough to tell her that their talk was tabled until tomorrow because of her late arrival. She stripped down to her boxer shorts and t-shirt before sliding into bed and pulling Ali into her. Her face nuzzled into the mess of dark curls just as the owner of them started to grumble.

"Ash?" Ali said with sleep and confusion laden in her voice. 

"Yea babe, I'm here. I'm-" She didn't get the chance to finish because Ali moved out of her arms like she'd been stung.

She turned to face the pitcher that'd been so cold to her for the past few days. The days worth of coldness and anger all brimming over. She could see as Ashlyn's expression deepened with guilt as she took in her red brimmed, puffy eyes from the crying she did while waiting up for her because sleep wasn't coming. 

"You treated me like I didn't exist. You acted like if I went out of my way to hurt you and everytime I tried to explain my reasoning to you, you cut me off or got mad." Ali stated with her voice firm but still wavering. "If I wanted to be treated like I didn't exist then let me move out, so then I won't expect anything when I wake up. Let me know when I've _fucked_ up your life enough like Matthew did mine, so I can go. Because you don't get to ignore me and treat me like a nuisance. You don't get to say those awful words to me and then flip the switch and hug me. No it doesn't work that way. I know I should've talked to you before agreeing to see him but that's no excuse for how you reacted." She finished as she got up from the bed and went straight to her dresser. Pulling a change of clothing out and mumbling to herself, "Maybe I'll go sleepover at Kyle's place."

"Ali don't go." Ashlyn pleaded but was ignored. "Ali I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry for what I said at the hotel. I know I can never it back but please know that I'm sorry. But I was hurting too and I felt like I didn't matter to you. You didn't even ask me how I would feel about the entire situation before making that decision Al. It felt like I held no important place to you." Ashlyn replied. The last thing she wanted was for Ali to leave, she knew an apology wouldn't solve everything but she wanted to start somewhere. 

"Because you never let me explain!" Ali shouted in compete frustration as she turned around to face the pitcher. "You never gave me a chance. You shoved words in my mouth when I never meant them or said them. You fought with me everytime I wanted to explain to you." The tears pouring from her eyes immediately. "I spent years being treated like crap Ash, years. I didn't need to feel it from you." She choked out before leaving the room. 

Ashlyn's heart probably shattered to pieces as she listened to the words leave her girlfriend's mouth. Never in her life did she ever think that she could be the instigator of such terrible feelings. How could she chastise Ali for her actions when in fact she was treating her just like Matthew had. She felt numb as the realization dawned on her. Her mind and heart were in shambles, she didn't understand how she could look in the mirror and still see herself. Her feet felt like lead, but she moved quickly to follow the brunette, whom she found crying on the couch with her knees pulled tight up to her chest and her arms hugging them close.

"Ali...Al, please look at me." Ashlyn pleaded, already on her knees and warm palms on her calves trying to coax her into the motion. She saw her long brown tresses move sideways and knew Ali was telling her no. Ashlyn gripped her calves a bit tighter but still lightly. The chill of the long Maryland winters were biting into the home and with the sleep shorts and camisole Ali donned, Ashlyn knew she was cold. She reached over and grabbed the plush throw blanket and wrapped it around the brunette. Leaning forward and softly kissing the knuckles of her hand. 

"Ali, I'm sorry. I was hurt and I was an ass. I just...I can't think straight when it comes to Matthew. If they called and told me he died in prison, babe, I'd throw a party, and as morbid as it sounds, it's true. But when I think about all the times he hurt you, I just get angry. Nothing made sense to me, and I felt left out Al." Ashlyn spoke softly. Ali's crying had died down but the sniffling remained. Ashlyn nearly thought that they were going to have to sleep like this because Ali wasn't budging, that is until, Ali took her hand in her own. 

"Baby, if I could go back in time to fix this, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I know I can't change the past, so please Al, let me start now by making things right again." Ashlyn nearly whispered. 

"I just wanted to really close the chapter on him. I needed to see him in the place where he was going to spend the rest of his life and tell him that I was happy with someone else. That I wasn't sorry for anything that was going to happen to him. That he is nothing to me anymore. That's why I wanted to go and see him." Ali said so lightly that Ashlyn nearly strained to hear it. "I know I should've talked to you before making that decision because you mean so much to me Ash, and I don't want to lose you. But I tried, I tried so many times to talk to you after the fact and you wouldn't give me the time of day. As if I meant nothing to you, nothing more than an annoyance."

Ashlyn kissed her hand again, this time lingering longer than before. "I love you Ali, so so so much. And I know sorry can only excuse so much. But I will do whatever in my power to make up for the damage I caused. I never, ever want you to feel like I've treated you like Matthew had. I want to give you every ounce of healthy love I have but I'm human and I'll make mistakes. But even then, that's no excuse. So please Al, I'm asking for a chance to make things right. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I'm asking for a chance to earn your forgiveness back."

"I love you too Ash." Ali replied, her amber eyes meeting the hazel-green ones that were her favorite pitcher. "I hate fighting with you, it hurts too much. I don't want to lose you, I don't want to feel what it'd be like without you because if these last few days were any indication. Then I don't want to relive it."

"Me neither baby." Ashlyn answered truthfully. "How was it? Your visit with Matthew."

"It went exactly how I wanted it to. I told him everything that I needed to and I left. Matthew Evans is no longer a part of my life. He's no longer a part of either of our lives." She said with a small smile. 

"I love your strength. I don't think I can rival it." Ashlyn smiled softly and placed another kiss to her knuckles. "Can we go back to the bed? I know I'm not off the hook yet but I just want to hold you, make you warm and comfortable. I just want to love you."

Ali nodded while using her other hand to wipe her tears. She closed her eyes sy the blonde's touch when she leaned in-between her thighs and kissed the semi-dry tear lines from her cheeks. Ali turned her head so that she could graze Ashlyn's lips with her own and gave a sigh of happiness before pulling back. She allowed Ashlyn to pull her to her feet and lead her back to their bedroom. They laid down facing each other with barely any space between the both of them. 

"I don't want you to move out. I'd never want that. I don't want you think that I think of you as an annoyance, Al. I don't want you to think that I'd purposely hurt you." Ashlyn stated in the darkness of their room. "I love you Al, and I want you to feel like the most cherished person on the planet because you're my Short Stack. I want to love and care for you more than anyone in the world to be honest."

"You mean a lot to me Ashlyn, more than the word a lot can actually mean. And I messed up by not talking to you beforehand. I understand that now and I don't want to relive those past days, it was too hard Ash. I _want_ you, I only want and care for you. You're my Green Giant, we have stick together." She ended with an insanely cute smile that had the pitcher cut the space between them and capture Ali's lips in a bruising kiss. 

Ali trailed a hand up Ashlyn's arm before leaving it to rest on her pitcher's hand. "Are we okay?"

"We're more than okay, baby." Ashlyn nodded before kissing her once more. "Let me make love to you Al. I know what just happened is-"

"Yes Ash." Ali breathed into their kiss and dropped her hands to her sleep shorts to remove them but Ashlyn stopped her. The look in Ashlyn's eyes were completely filled with unequivocal love and adoration. She wrapped her arms around the pitcher's shoulders and considerably deepened their kiss, more insistent with her tounge and lips. Their lips moved in complete harmony and unison as their hands explored each other's bodies before slowly removing clothing. By the time both women were completely bare, forgiveness was already done and sealed, although, they both made a well placed mental note to work on the things they neglected, the things that caused their fight. 

They kissed and explored every inch of skin on each other's bodies. Showing more love to scars, or blemishes, or just the their favorite parts on each other. They whispered words of complete adoration and affection as the desire to have each other more intimately surged on. Their bodies were practically molded together as one or the other stroked them to feelings of utter pleasure and love, allowing them to bare themselves and be vulnerable. To allow the other to protect them in the moment that they couldn't. Take care of them as they entrusted them with their body. Honor them when they bared their heart and feelings to them, so that they could be loved and cherished. 

As they came down from their experience with heightened senses, they were quick to shower each other with even more love. Not because of what transpired over the last few days, but because this was how they should be. Because it felt so natural to be that way towards each other. By the time they'd finished, they stayed completely molded together like in the beginning. Despite the stickiness of their sweat and other body fluids, they were inseparable. They knew it as they shared slow and gentle kisses while trying to coax the other to fall asleep first. Ali was the first succumb to sleep but only because of the scent and warmth that was trademarked as 'Ashlyn Harris '. Ali was happy, she was in love and more than happy to know this was her future. Almost as if Ashlyn was agreeingwith her, she nuzzled into her dark curls. Ashlyn and Ali were both sure this was happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't keep yall in misery too long. Bam, Duchess, and Grey, put down that Patron xD


	42. Preparation For the All-Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so so sorry for the unprecedented break, but school life hit me hard lol :D there was really no time for me to write but hey I'm on Spring Break now! Although,I have tests after Spring Break/.\ but enough about me, here's a chapter :)

Today was Valentine's Day, well the day before Valentine's Day to be exact. But in the baseball world it was the day before the All-Star baseball game between the National League and the American League. All of the best players in the WMLB would be present and it was sure to be an amazing game. However, every player loved a great game but they hated media, it seemed to be the generally concensus among both male and female players alike. And that's exactly where 4 of the Senators players were. All four of Ashlyn, Pinoe, Syd and Abby were in the LA based Nike headquarters' waiting room with some of the country's best. 

"Okay Senators we're ready for you guys." An extremely peppy female assistant said as she sits from behind her desk. "You all can follow me and I'll take yall to our fabulous photo shoot area."

"What'd she do, sniff fairy dust?" Pinoe snickered as they followed behind her. 

Abby gave her a swift swat to the head, with a look that said "Shut it, or I'll kick your ass". They continued to follow the Nike assistant to a large room with makeup stations, different jerseys and more. There were changing robes that had their names on them, along with long outfit bags designated to each player in the premises. 

"Okay!" The assistant said abruptly and quite loudly, causing the players to jump. "Our photographer will be here soon to tell you guys what to do." She finished with a large smile and a clap of her hands before leaving. 

"I don't even want to know why she was so fucking happy. I mean it's 8 am, it is not the time to be happy." Syd grumbled while taking a sip of her Starbucks Coffee. 

Abby shrugged, "I think she's adorable. There's nothing like seeing a truly, dedicated and happy employee to start your day."

The other the Senators players gave her an odd look before Abby rolled her eyes and scoffed. 

"Sourpuss." 

"Anyways, I want yall approval for my Valentine's gift to Ali." Ashlyn said. 

"Is it sex? Bondage? Toys?" Pinoe said with an extremely goofy look. 

"No. Pinoe what even. Your mind is like a one way train to a dumpster fire." Ashlyn spoke and pulled out her phone to show a photo to the group. "I took a picture of it and I think I did good."

Syd leaned down closer to the picture and awwed. "That is adorable Ash. She's gonna love that. I might just have to tell Dom to step up his game tomorrow."

"Syd, we still have to fit her head through the door but if you keep inflating her ego, we're fucked." Abby joked. "But jokes aside, she's gonna love it. Nice job Harris."

"Okay suckups, move aside so I can see." Pinoe stated as she pushed herself into the view of the phone. She stayed silent for a while before handing the phone back and nodding in satisfaction. "You've done Padawan, you've done well."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

The Senators players were taking photos for nearly two hours, before different players from different teams were called in as well to take photos in the split off teams of National League and American League. Just when everyone thought they were finished, they were dragged back and forth for commercials, internet promos, and so on. Once they finally finished, it was nearly evening. 

The four Senators players grumbled all the way to their taxi. Although they just went through an incredibly long work day, Nike had set up a nice team pre-gameday dinner for all the players of the All-Star game. 

"Yoohoo, Harris!" A voice called out from behind them. 

Ashlyn snorted and turned to hug Lindsey Maxwell, "Well I didn't think I'd see you here."

Lindsey gave her hip a hard punch before flipping her off. "Uhh the best players from both leagues are called in dumbshit."

"My point exactly." Ashlyn grinned with her tounge sticking out. 

"You know, I'd kick your ass if not for the game tomorrow. But kicking your ass on the field in front of hundreds of thousands live and millions on tv, will suffice." Lindsey quipped with a smirk. 

Pinoe put an arm around the American League batter. "Listen Sweetheart, I know this is new and everything but, this is the big leagues and it's okay to be a dreamer. I just want to let you know that we already have one of the biggest dreamers on the planet-" Pinoe pulled Syd closely to her with her other arm. "With Syd here, but there is no way you are going to beat the National League."

Lindsey slapped Pinoe's side before giving her cheek a little bite. "This one's a bigass goof."

"Don't we know it." Abby frowned as they approached their taxi. "Well we'll see you at the dinner, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Lindsey agreed before giving everyone a hug bye. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"I hate to admit it but damn Harris, you look good." Pinoe stated as she looked the blonde up and down. 

"Hella good." Syd added with a kiss to her cheek. 

"Gee thanks you guys." Ashlyn couldn't help but blush at her friends compliments. She dressed in semi-ripped, dark washed, black, skinny jeans, with a long sleeve gray shirt with the sleeves pulled over her forearms, black combat boots, a tan hat with her hair hanging loosely and a few chains along with a watch. 

"Watch that ego you guys. Before it gets to large and we all die at dinner." Abby warned and opened up the rather expensive but homey restaurant door. 

"Imagine, to die by my beautiful and incredibly sexy face." Ashlyn teased. 

Abby rolled her eyes and gave her a little shove to get inside. "With where that mouth had been, I don't want it anywhere near me." She said in a matter of fact tone. 

The entire room of female athletes all greeted each other with hugs and other ways before pulling out their seats. It was a bit odd that everyone had an empty seat next to them while they placed their meal orders. The WMLB commissioner came in with a large smile on her face along with her wife. 

"I am so glad that all of you could make it out for this for this All-Star game. I know it has been a few stressful days with the photo shoots, interviews, commercials and the whole 9 yards and whatnot. So I scourged up this dinner with a little surprise to help you all play your best tomorrow." The commissioner stated and looked around at the smiles and curious looks she was receiving.

"C'mon, I wanna know!" Pinoe whined playfully. 

"Never a dull moment with this one here." The commissioner laughed, remembering Pinoe from past All-Star games. "Well without further adieu, come on in you guys." She said as she turned towards the restaurant front door as people started to enter. Syd's eyes lit up as she saw Dom walk inside with a grin similar to his wife's. Abby quickly embraced her wife Sarah when she saw happy tears in her eyes. Pinoe gave a smirk when she saw her twin come in. Ashlyn completely beamed when she saw Ali come inside with a smile, she lifted Ali into her arms and plastered her face with kisses before finally capturing her lips deeply. 

"Oh babe, I was going to fly you out tomorrow for the game." Ashlyn said on her lips between kisses.

Ali gave Ashlyn a little push on her shoulder to break the kiss. "I know, but the commissioner gave me a call a little while after you were chosen for the All-Star game. I couldn't refuse seeing you a full day early." She explains before leaning back in to kiss her. 

"Mmmm, well I'm more than happy that you're here." Ashlyn said while trying to deepen their kiss. 

Ali gently pushed her back with a giggle. "I just flew quite a few hours on a plane with bad food, I kind of want to eat first and then say our hellos."

Ashlyn smirked at the brunette, "Why Ms.Krieger, am I sensing some fatty in you?" She teased. 

"Nope, but you will meet my wrath if you don't let me eat." Ali said with a look that had the pitcher put her down and lead her to the table. 

"Done eating face, Harris?" Pinoe joked around a mouth of pasta. 

"Once you stop acting like a neanderthal, we'll call it even." Ashlyn tossed back as she pulled Ali's chair out for her, which earned her a chaste peck before taking her seat next to her. 

"Touché." Pinoe replied before turning to Ali. "So Aliroo, you excited for tomorrow?"

"Well...I'm definitely excited but umm...you know. I can hardly contain it." Ali chuckled nervously with reddened cheeks. 

Ashlyn's jaw dropped as she looked at her girlfriend. "You really have no idea how big this game is, do you?" She was surprised but her tone wasn't condescending, it was genuinely surprised.

Pinoe snorted as she trained to contain her laughter. "Ali, I love ya, but you're too much sometimes. I mean, I would've thought that after all this time together, you'd understand these things."

"I do." Ali whined. "I understand how the game works, but does this game count for anything? Does it hurt your chances to go to the World Series?"

"I'm glad to hear that. It makes me feel like a proud mama." Pinoe said as she dabbed at fake tears.

Syd rolled her eyes at the blonde. "Al, don't mind the leprechaun. She's just mad that a lot, if not everyone in this room is getting laid tonight, and she'll be stuck playing Scrabble with her sis. Ain't that right gremlim?"

Pinoe tried to yank at the ends of Syd's hair but her twin, Rachel, stopped her before the two went crazy. 

"Anyways," Abby said as she glared at the two unkempt like children, before turning to Ali. "Whatever league wins the All-Star game, just wins. They get a cool trophy, salary bonuses and so on. It's like an amazing tune up game you get to play with some of the best in the country. It also symbolizes the midpoint of the season. Our season ends in April right before the men start, although, the All-Star game was supposed to be in January, they pushed it back a bit."

Ali nodded in understanding. "Yea that makes sense. Although, it's kind of sad to know that the season's almost over. You guys are seriously some of the best people I've met. I'm gonna miss yall, you guys are my little family."

The entire table "awwed" at the brunette's words which instantly turned her face red. Ashlyn gave the crown of her head kiss before giving the same to her cheek. 

"You're too cute babe." Ashlyn smiled. 

"Don't worry Ali. The season may end but we'll definitely come over like way too many times for comfort." Pinoe said a bit teasingly but with a genuine tone and look. 

"I agree, we're gonna have to bring you guys over for my wife and I's good ol' post-season parties." Abby added. "By the time the season starts up again, you're going to despise us."

The entire table just laughed at their interaction before going back to their own conversations. Dinner was amazing in the end, just being around world class players who seemed to be so down to earth, definitely made the spent fun. By the end of the night, the commissioner stood up to address the table. 

"Let's call it a night people. You guys go out and have a great time tomorrow." The commissioner smiled before saying goodnight to them and leaving with her partner. The rest of the players did the same before heading back to their hotel rooms. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn pushed Ali up against the wall of the elevator as they kissed heatedly. Their fingers both grabbed at each other, wanting to feel the body that they'd been apart from for such a little amount of time but felt like months. The ding of the elevator nearly went unnoticed until Ashlyn gave Ali a little pinch. They cleared their throat before walking out the elevator as an older couple walked inside. Ali giggled as they exited, she knew the couple saw them groping each other before they broke apart. She felt Ashlyn's arms go around her waist as he nose moved the hair from her shoulder to place kisses down her neck. Ali turned in her arms and connected lips, squealing as her pitcher lifted her up in her arms. When Ali's back hit the front of the hotel room door. 

"My back pocket. The key is in my back pocket." Ashlyn breathed on her lips while moving down to her neck. 

Ali reached down and in one swift motion, took the room key and unlocked the door, which Ashlyn had them through quickly. 

"Mmm baby let me take a quick shower." Ali said. 

Ashlyn shook her head no. "No, you smell great. Amazing actually."

Ali snorted before getting down from Ashlyn's arms. "I've been on a plane for hours. I have sweat in places that no matter how turned on you are, will still not taste good. Let me shower and I'll be back, just make sure to be naked and ready for me." Ali winked before slipping into the bathroom. 

Ashlyn did a mini fist pump before stripping off her clothing and jumped on top of the comforter. She leaned her head on her closed fist with one leg propped up. She laid there for what seemed like forever, and she also noticed that the water from the shower head never turned off, so she jumped out of bed and entered the bathroom. 

"You are absolutely adorable." She whispered as she took in Ali's naked form sitting on the toilet with her back leaning, completely knocked out and snoring. She quietly moved over to her and gathered her into her arms. She turned off the water from the shower and moved them both into the plush bed. Brushing a few stands of brunette hair from her face before wrapping her up in both her arms and the blankets before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some baseball game play will be in the next


	43. All-Star Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is some baseball! :D along with other things ;)

The players took the field as they stood for the singing of the National anthem. Each player donned their individual team jerseys but had either a National League patch or an American League patch over their breast to distinguish which League team were which. 

They stood with their right hand over their mouthing along the anthem singer as the military held flags and rifles. Fireworks flew and burst in synch with the anthem lines. Once it ended, the crowd cheered, and the players clapped before giving the opposing team some "good lucks" words before going to their allotted dugouts. 

"Okay ladies, we've been over the game plan before. You all know it by heart. So go out and kick some ass. Show them why the National League is the best in all of women's baseball." The coach yelled with a completely pumped up aura surrounding him. 

The National League were going to be batting for the top of the first. Their first batter came from the Connecticut Stingers, Emily Van Dusen. She was great batter but on a team that didn't make too much noise. Van Dusen stepped up to the plate and eyed the American League's pitcher from the NYC Phantoms, Margaret Chu. The umpire called the for the start of the game and the crowd erupted in cheers. 

Chu readied her stance before shaking her wrist and throwing a floater that tricked Van Dusen enough to be called a strike. The National League banged on the dugout walls while yelling to rile up their batter as another strike was called. Van Dusen moved into a bunting stance to get the quick first base and the moment Chu the a hard fast ball, Van Dusen quickly changed her batting stance and smashed a hard ball straight down the middle and through some legs. She tossed her bat and make a quick run to first base before the American League outfielders could tag her. 

Pinoe cheered before jogging up to home plate and giving a few fans in the crowd a wink. She looked to her bat before getting into her stance and mumbling to herself. "Far and wide, Pinoe. Far and wide." By the turn off Chu's wrist Pinoe knew it was a curve ball coming. "Mama needs some more zeros on that pay check." Pinoe grunted to herself as she hit a popper far into the left of the outfield. First base was nothing new, and she got there safely with Van Dusen on 2nd.

Abby was up next, the coach wanted a 3-man homer right now if he could and Abby was their go-to. She took the plate with a bit of a smirk, she had a feeling that Chu was going to intentionally walk her. However, as a surprise to everyone, Chu actually struck Abby out with well placed balls to hard areas. 

Another batter from the Anaheim Chargers took the plate. She was one of those players that you either liked or you didn't, mostly because of her character but aside from that, she was a solid player. She was solid enough to put the National's up on the board, with a run from Van Dusen and Pinoe on 3rd.

The top of the 1st inning ended great for the National League. Their batters had up'd the initial score of 0-1 now to 0-3 with runs from Van Dusen, Pinoe and a batter from New Jersey. Ashlyn picked a few pieces of fun from the container of gun before taking her mitt and receiving last minute information and jogging up to the mound. The crowd nearly went crazy for her and it wasn't surprising since Ashlyn was definitely a fan favorite. She gave a wink in Ali's direction which earned her a rather large grin from the brunette and a few claps before turning back to her catcher and nodding for the pitch. 

When Lindsey took the plate Ashlyn knew they wanted to get on the scoreline quickly so she threw a few fast balls that got her two strikes and one ball. Ashlyn knew she was wearing the NYC batter down when she saw her grip her bat a bit tighter and roll her shoulders. Ashlyn wiped some sweat from her brows before cranking up her next pitch which was equivalent to a knuckle ball in soccer. It faked out Lindsey and gave the American League their first out. Lindsey threw her bat to the stands padding before stalking of back to their dugout. 

Next up for the American League was Janelle Farley from the Utah Blues, she was an unpredictable batter which was exactly why Ashlyn wanted to give her all and make sure she struck her out. Her catcher wanted her to walk Farley but Ashlyn was determined to not let her see a base. So she threw a hard spinning curveball that Farley completely missed. Once the umpire yelled the first strike, Ashlyn couldn't help but gain some confidence. She pitched a floater and completely different from her first swing, Farley connected extremely well on it, sending it to the right of the out field past the National League outfielders. After what seemed like forever, the pitch finally made it back to Ashlyn's fingers and like muscle memory, her body quickly turned to throw to 3rd base to get Farley out. However, the umpire over 3rd base called her safe. 

"Mother fucker." Ashlyn mumbled before turning back to home plate to face the next batter. It was a well known veteran from the Wichita Vipers. Kellin James, completely known for smashing balls out of the stadium and far into the outfield. This time Ashlyn listened to her catcher and walked her. The next batter was young and a bit cocky, she already had her bat in a bunting position to help her team secure a first run. Ashlyn pitched a curveball so that if hit, it fell near 3rd base. The National League 3rd baseman tagged out Farley with a diving arm before throwing it to the 1st baseman for the 3rd out and to end the inning with a hard earned double play. 

Both Leagues knew the All-Star game was more so a treat to the fans of the WMLB than it were the players. It was no doubt an honor to be fan voted into the All-Star and snag some bonuses if your League won, but to play in front of tens of thousands of your fans was an even better honor. However, the All-Star game put a lot of competitiveness in the air with that many world class athletes on the same pitch. So it was no surprise that the next 7 innings went by with blood, sweat and honestly some tears. Each player, pitchers and catchers included, we're covered in both grass and dirt stains. The infielders and outfielders had been slamming into the boards all night catching balls and falling into the stands while going for them. The pitchers had ice on their elbows and shoulders after throwing so many pitchers all night and with one inning left. There were only two runs scored by the American League by Lindsey and Kellin James, which almost turned the tide of the game in favor of the American League. The National League wanted to secure their 2-3 lead, whereas the American League wanted to put some runs on the board to get the win. There were plenty of "almost getting on the board" by both teams. On more than one account had baserunners tried to steal bases, only to then slide into infielders protecting the bases. Some players had to be replaced because of injury, and although the players knew they should lighten up some, both Leagues wanted to win and nothing less than that.

The American League pitcher Chu, stepped up to mound at the top of the 9th. She already struck out two National League batters before Ashlyn took the plate. Ashlyn knew almost every book like it was nothing, she was an excellent option to use to get bases. Chu tried to fake her out with pitches that were balls, hoping that she'd go for them but was disappointed when the umpire called two balls. Chu changed her plan and pitched a hard ball right the bottom of the strike zone but Ashlyn still managed to get enough on it to make a run for 1st base safely. The National League dugout cheered like crazy, this war one step closer to winning. 

Syd was up next, she took her place at home plate and got straight into her batting stance. Chu paid no attention to the noise coming from the National League dugout and sent a hard curve ball to Syd, who tried to check her swing but was ruled a strike. Syd patted her bat on the plate before getting back into position. Chu threw another doozy which made Syd hesitate enough to be called a strike. Chu's next pitch was hit but sent into the foul zone. 

"You got this Syd! Just keep your head in the game!" Pinoe yelled from the practice batting area. 

Syd blew out a hard breath before positioning herself again and connecting on another pitch but into the foul zone. Syd knew that if anyone was actually able to catch her foul hits, then the top of the 9th would be over and they'd have to work extra hard in the bottom of the 9th to secure their win. So she gripped her bat and watched as Chu threw a straight fast pitch. Syd leaned back and put all of her strength into her swing and hit the ball dead center and started sprinting as she saw it practically soar in the air. The American League outfielders tried to get it before it went over the stands bit they smashed into the wall as a two-man homer was called, which had National League fans out of their seats, jumping and chanting baseball tunes. 

When both Ashlyn and Syd finished their runs, Ashlyn ran over to her and all but lifted her off the ground. 

"That was fucking amazing Syd! Where have you been hiding that?!" Ashlyn asked in glee as they jogged back to the dugout where she got jumped on by the rest of her League teammates. There were plenty of "Hell yea, Syd" and "Show-off" jokingly said among the players. In the eyes of the National League players, there was no way the American League could even hope to secure a win now with the scoreline 2-5.

"Congratulations on your first home run in the All-Stars, I can definitely see more in the future." the National League coach said with much pride in his voice and firm pat to Syd's back. 

Chu continued to pitch through the noise of the crowd and it was easy to tell that she was shaken. She finally managed to get the last out but only after allowing two more National League players to get on bases. 

Ashlyn threw her last practice pitch before jogging out to the mound to pitch what she hoped would be the last inning of the game. The American League went full throttle with their batting lineup. Each one was another strong batter or wild card. But the National League fought back just as hard. However, the bases were loaded and the American League only had one out. The current batter was on 2 strikes already and Ashlyn just threw a dropping ball to get the 2nd out. The next batter, Kellin James. This was who they didn't want to face last, because if Kellin hit one out of the park, the National League were going to lose. 

Ashlyn blew out a hard breath before throwing a slider. Relief flooded her body when the umpire called out a strike. Another pitch and another strike called had both teams and fans on the edge of their seats for what could be the end of the game. Ashlyn fixed the brim of her cap before throwing a curving pitch and was waiting to see if she could celebrate. Her entire body filled with complete anguish when she saw Kellin solidly connect with the and sent it hovering over the ground. Before it even touched the ground, Pinoe ran quickly down the outfield and dived down with no regard of her body and caught the ball, ending the game

"Fucking hell man-" Ashlyn yelled and ran towards Pinoe. The entire team stormed the field to jump on both Pinoe and Syd as the crowd cheered on their win. The players all jumped up when they felt the cold rush of ice cold gatorade splash over their backs. 

All of the players from both Leagues congratulated each other as the stadium crew rushed to get the winning team presentation ready. The commissioner along with other WMLB officials came down to present the American League with the 2nd place medal before moving on to present the National League with the first place medals and trophy. One could say the National League was a bit cocky when they won but who wouldn't be after being the winning League. The National League rose up the trophy multiple times as various media outlets took pictures. Once the on-field celebrations started to cool down, Ashlyn jogged over to where Ali was and jumped up on the walls of the stands, which made the crowd go crazy because of her presence near them. She pulled herself over and into the stands before wrapping her arms around her favorite brunette and kissed her deeply. Ali giggled on her lips from the surprise of the pitcher practically jumping up there. 

"Congratulations baby." Ali grinned before pulling away from the blonde's wet body. She ran her fingers over the cool metal of the All-Star medal on her neck. Fans were attempting to shove their way into the couple's moment. Some took videos of them while some pushed their camera's in to get some kind of selfie or picture with the National League pitcher.

"I have a surprise for you in my locker." Ashlyn informed before jumping back down onto the pitch and holding out her arms for the brunette to follow.

Ali swooned at the gesture but shook her head. "Go celebrate with your team and I'll meet up with you guys. I have a surprise for you myself."

Ashlyn nodded before running over to her team's dugout to head into the locker rooms. Most of the players and staff were splashing each other with bottles of beer and champagne while singing whatever chants and songs came to their minds. The celebrations died down rather fast despite the win, since they actually wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day with their loved ones. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Hey babe." Ashlyn greeted her girlfriend with a hug and quick kiss. She was freshly showered and pulled out a small black box. "Happy Valentine's Day babe."

Ali smiled as her nimble fingers moved over the box as she opened it, only to gasp softly as a hand went up to cover her mouth. "Ash...I don't know what to say...This is beautiful." Ali looked over the beautiful piece of jewelry. 

"I know you never actually said that it was missing, but I noticed that 'happy times only' bracelet wasn't there anymore. Not your fault, I know." Ashlyn grinned as she took the bracelet from the box and opened the delicate clasp. "I thought I'd get you a more grown up version of it."

The bracelet wasn't over-jeweled by any means. It was simple yet beautiful. The main body of the bracelet was a feminine styled silver with hand-carved, pale seashells with small diamonds in-between them. 

Ashlyn clasped the bracelet on Ali's wrist before giving her another kiss. 

"I truly love it Ash. I can't express that enough." Ali choked out honestly. She'd lost the bracelet in Arizona when Matthew had attacked her and to see Ashlyn realize how much that bracelet actually meant to her, brought a whole other wave of meaning to her. She wiped her eyes as happy tears filled her eyes. "You're gonna make my present look like crap."

"Not true baby." Ashlyn assured. 

"Yea damn right, your present doesn't stand a candle to Ali's." A booming voice called out from the back tables of the restaurant. 

Ashlyn's eyes widen in complete surprise and excitement. "Don't tell me, Al, is that Chris?" She asked with the excitement of a child on Christmas. 

Ali nodded with a large grin. "Him and more. Go check, we're seated in the back." 

Ashlyn took Ali's hand and allowed her to lead them to the tables she'd reserved for their Valentine's Day dinner. The sight of the Harris clan nearly sent waves of tears in the pitcher's eyes before she went to embrace her family. After they finished, Ashlyn moved to gratefully embrace her girlfriend. 

"How'd you get them here?"

Ali took her hand and led them to sit at the restaurant table. "Well, since I travel with the team, I had quite an excess of frequent flyer miles and I knew you hadn't physically seen your family since Thanksgiving. And I know Valentine's Day is supposed to be all couply and whatnot, but I think it's the day for the people you love, and your family, we both have so much love for them."

Ashlyn gave her a deep kiss that had her brother whistling like a fool. "You are absolutely amazing, you know that right."

"It's always great to hear it from you." Ali replied as the waiters brought over the food Ali pre-ordered for everyone. 

"What about your family, babe? Where's Deb and Kyle?" Ashlyn asked. 

"They were busy, but they promised to make some time later." Ali answered. "Don't worry about it, it's okay. Honestly it's okay." She reassured. 

"Hey, yoohoo, we flew all the way to LA to watch you kick ass at that game. Which might I add that you jumping over the stand's wall to kiss ya girl was pretty crazy. But I'm like a child, your Bubba needs attention." Chris said, butting into the conversation. 

Ashlyn flicked some of her pasta at her older brother. "No can do Bubba. My woman deserves all of my attention and lovin' right now."

"You two are still fools." Grandma Harris chuckled as she watched her grandchildren start what was most likely going to be a long bicker session. She turned her attention to Ali before taking one of her hands. "And how are you doing, Ali."

"I'm great actually. I know I brought up some heavy things last time we visited but I'm honestly okay. And Ashlyn has been my pillar of support, but I have learned to support myself as well." Ali gave the older woman a genuine smile. 

Grandma Harris patted her hand before squeezing it. "Sweetheart that's great to hear. Now where's my great-grandchildren because that.." She pointed to Chris. "Lughead is forever alone and Lord knows when I'll get anything from him."

"Uh children are something we definitely haven't really discussed at all. But we'll see."

"I'll drop some hints for you both. I know how you young people want your single, sexy times but you can still have that with children around." Grandma Harris reiterated. 

Nearly everyone at the table turned around with wide eyes. Mike wrapped his arm around Grandma Harris to give Ali a chance to breathe. 

"Gram, how about we let Ashlyn and Ali figure out their future." Mike suggested.

Grandma Harris shook her head. "Mike, Sweetie, I know. I'm just giving them some pushes in the right direction. And don't worry about being married, that's so old school. Love is all the two of you need, and it seems that you two have quite enough, otherwise your brother wouldn't be begging for some."

"Gram-" Chris started. 

"Oh hush boy. I just want cute great-grandbabies, is that a crime? And you being single doesn't help that case, now does it?" Grandma Harris pointed out with narrowed eyebrows. Chris held his hands up in surrender before mouthing 'Good luck' to his sister.

"Listen Gram, Ali and I love the sentiment, but um we'll let you know whenever we decide to have kids or get married or whatever." Ashlyn smiled awkwardly. 

Grandma Harris Have her granddaughter a look before nodding slowly, "Okay. You can't blame little ol' me for wanting some cute, squishy cheeks to squeeze. Who would've thought that your fat baby cheeks would become that dimple you have now?" She gave Ashlyn's cheeks a squeeze before turning back to her food. "I just want some before I die and all." Grandma Harris added, while laying it on thick. 

Tammye turned to her daughter and Ali. "Don't let Gram guilt trip you into having children or getting married before you're ready for it. She's been doing it for decades, believe me she's good at it."

"Is that how me and Chris came to be?" Ashlyn teased which earned her a pop to the head.

"That is none of your business missy. Now make sure you eat your vegetables." Tammye pointed out before engaging in conversation with her husband. 

The rest of dinner went along with the somehow contained chaos that were the Harris family. Ashlyn and Ali both bid the Harris family goodnight before heading back to their hotel room.

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"You are silly." Ali giggled as she could see the movement of Ashlyn's head under the comforter. She was about tease the blonde some more until she felt her pitcher's mouth exactly where she wanted it. "Oh baby that's it." It felt more like teasing rather than Ashlyn actually sucking on her clit. 

"Baby, Ash please." Ali whined as her hands tracked under the blankets to guide her head to the right place with more pressure on her more than swollen clit. 

Ashlyn shook her before spreading her girlfriend's thighs, "Patience babe." She put two of her fingers in her mouth before swirling them in Ali's juices and slowly pushing them inside her warm and wet folds. She placed her thumb over the swollen clit before moving up out of the blanket to kiss her deeply while using her hips to help her to drive into Ali.

Ali's hands immediately went into the soft blonde hair and her thighs went around her waist. "Yes, god Ash fuck me. Ah yes." She all but moaned as a mantra as their bodies got slick with sweat and Ashlyn drove in deeper with each movement of her hips. Ali felt her orgasm practically ripping her until she felt Ashlyn's fingers leave her core. 

"Ashlyn, I will ki-" Ali nearly threatened the pitcher but a sharp bite to her hardened nipple, stopped her protest.

Ashlyn lavished both breasts and nipples before kissing and sucking the skin on her neck and chest. "Hush babe." Ashlyn shushed as her thumb rubbed hard circles into Ali's clit, but everytime she heard Ali's breath speed up, she halted her actions. 

Ali's hands gave her pitcher's head a good yank to get her to look at her. "If you keep me from cuming one more time I will not only kill you, I will-"

Ashlyn kissed her deeply once more before plunging her fingers back in and silencing the brunette effectively. She continued driving into Ali, through the yells that were leaving Ali's mouth, the groans, moans and begging of complete pleasure. She kissed down the brunette's neck as her head dropped back as her orgasm ripped through her.

Ashlyn continued to give slow thrusts into her core and lighter rubs to her clit until Ali gently pushed her away. She was ready to say something witty until Ali's hand smacked her bare bicep. 

"Oww babe! I give you an earth shattering orgasm and you're hitting me?" Ashlyn questioned. 

Ali gave her a look, "You brought me to the edge multiple times, only to tease me back down. Over and over, I am not a happy camper."

"That's because you fell asleep, on the toilet, stark naked last night. I had to do something." Ashlyn grinned before kissing her slowly. 

"Hmmm, sorry baby, I didn't know I did that." Ali remarked as she moved her hands up and down the sides of her pitcher's strong torso. "Maybe you deserve something extra tonight."

"Damn right I do, but could you imagine us, married and with kids running around the house?" Ashlyn pondered aloud. 

"I could see that with you, but we've never really talked about it. And we all know your grandma's stance on it." Ali answered. "Do you want kids?" She asked as her hand continued it's indistinct path on her tattooed torso. 

"I've always knew I wanted kids, you know. I guess with all my past girlfriends, I didn't see it with them but I've wanted them, whether it's by birth or adoption." 

"So you want to get pregnant?" Ali asked with a hint of a teasing smile on her lips.

Ashlyn quickly shook her head. "I was kinda hoping you would. I watched way too many birth videos in my college health class, and I think I'm okay with never going through it or explicitly seeing it. But I'd be the most supporting person you would've ever met."

"Are we planning me getting pregnant?" Ali asked with a light chuckle.

"No. Maybe...You know honestly, I think we are." Ashlyn chuckled the more she thought about it. "I think, you'd make an amazing mommy, scout's honor."

Ali leaned up to peck her lips, "And you'd always be one proud momma." She moved Ashlyn to lie on her back before climbing on top of the blonde's waist and smirking as Ashlyn's eyes closed at the feeling of her wet core on her pelvis. "Now lie back and let me show you how proud I am of you." She whispered on her lips as her hand slipped between them and headed to the location that'd leave her pitcher breathless in moments.


	44. A Baby?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We talk babies! :D

The Senator's locker room was extremely loud as always, even louder now that it was the month of March and that meant they were one month away from both National League qualifiers, then League Championships and then hopefully the World Series itself. Each game was going to a seven series, or atleast whichever team got to four wins first. It was an arduous and tedious process that took a lot out of the players because there was a game every other day throughout the entire process to get to the World Series. 

They were preparing for practice today, which Andy specifically made to be physically taxing to push them to their limits because that's exactly what would happen during the post-season. They were a shoe-in for the post-season and Andy wanted to do everything in his power to get them ready for it. 

"Ladies, you all know we're going to the post-season. We have three final games before they'll announce us into the National League Qualifiers. We win these games, and we assure our spot. So today everyone needs to practice hard so we can be ready for it." Andy said loudly before leaving the locker room. 

The Senators went back to getting into their training gear. 

"So I heard something interesting while I was coming back from kicking some American League ass." Pinoe sang as she turned to Ashlyn with a large grin. 

Ashlyn gave her a creeped out look and looked around her before looking back to the bleached blonde. "Uh can I help our resident creep?"

"Oh you're so silly. But your grandma is a complete riot, I mean she had my flight laughing because she's just that precious." Pinoe dragged out. 

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and pulled her compression shirt over her sports bra before grabbing her pitching jersey. "What do you want Pinoe?" She groaned as the bleached blonde followed her to the recovery room.

Abby along with other players were getting taped up by Ali and her assistants before they'd head out to the field to practice. Ashlyn hopped up on one table and hoped Pinoe would leave her alone except she was wrong. 

"Well, I just want to know when I'll receive my invitation for both the baby shower and the wedding. I mean, I'm one of your best friends, and the fact that you and Ali are probably pregnant, well that hurts my feelings that I wasn't told." Pinoe says with fake sorrow. Her comment causes quite a few heads to turn, especially the surprised look from Ali. 

Abby turned to the young PT. "You're pregnant?! Holy shit, you two don't waste time huh!" Abby congratulated with a large smile. 

Syd and Crystal jumped up from their tables and gave Ali a tight hug before slapping Ashlyn's shoulder. 

"After knowing me for so long, you don't tell me that you two are pregnant?! Ashlyn Harris, I'd kick your butt if we didn't have so many post-games to do." Syd lightly threatened. 

Ali gave Ashlyn a very hard look. "You told them I'm pregnant?!"

Ashlyn's fell open but she never got to speak because of other players sharing their congratulations with the couple. Once the initial announcement of it died off, Ali moved over to Ashlyn with cream and tape. 

"I should make this super tight." Ali grumbled. She worked on her shoulder, elbow and wrist in silence before slapping her back. "You told people I'm pregnant?! Why would you do that?"

"Babe, I didn't say anything about that, I swear. Pinoe just started running her mouth about babies and marriage and I don't remember who she said she heard it from." Ashlyn explained. "I love you and everything but I wouldn't come up with something like this."

Ali nodded, "We'll can you figure out where she got that idea from because by the looks of it, some of the staff members have started coming in to congratulate me and a surprise pregnancy apparently."

"Will do babe." Ashlyn stood before giving her a few pecks and grabbing her equipment. "Love you baby."

Ali broke out in a smile, "Love you more."

"Share some love for your soon to be babies." Pinoe winked at them before running as she saw Ashlyn chasing after her. 

"You big-headed little twit!" Ashlyn yelled after her. 

They got as far as the field before Andy and Marcus grabbed them by the scruff of their practice uniforms before pushing them over to the places they were supposed to be. 

"Stop fucking around and practice you fools." Andy chastised. 

The Senators went at practicing hard, extremely hard. There jokes, good-hearted insults, and a whole new league of competitiveness among the players. However, there were a few things that were agitating Ashlyn to no avail, and it came in the form of a bleached blonde. 

"So baby names? Is it a little boy or a little girl? I could totally help you two with names." Pinie rambled on as she stood on home plate. 

Ashlyn picked up a baseball and aimed in Pinoe's direction before she accidentally overextended her elbow whole doing the motion. "God dammit Pinoe!" She yelled as she cradled her now injured arm. 

Andy blew the whistle to stop practice as he patted Ashlyn's back. "Go in and get it check."

Ashlyn begrudgingly stalked down to the recovery room only after giving Pinoe a glare that could raise the dead. Ali raised an eyebrow as she saw Ashlyn take a seat on the table with her right arm tucked close to her body. 

"Ash, what happened?" Ali asked as she slipped on gloves. 

Ashlyn let Ali look over her arm as she explained how Pinoe was being if not the most annoying thing she'd ever met. "I just don't know how she can tease some one so much. I was ready to put a ball in her back until I overextended my damn elbow."

Ali snorted While taking care of the elbow. "You and Pinoe are ridiculous. I'll set them straight with the whole pregnancy stuff. Any lip from her and I'm calling Gustavo back."

Ali went about putting things away but noticed that Ashlyn hadn't left yet. "Babe you're all done, albeit you have to stay of that arm for a week and a half. But you're good to go."

"Yea, I'm just thinking."

Ali sighed and took the blonde's uninjured hand in her own. "I know it's the same elbow that you had Thommy Johns surgery on, but you'll be back in time for the qualifiers and championships. It's just aminor sprain, don't worry."

"It's not that. I just...with all the talk about babies, and I know you said you wanted some. And I expressed that I also wanted kids."

"Out with it Ash."

Ashlyn smiled nervously and scratched the back of her neck. "I um...I'm just wondering what's your timeline on it, you know?"

Ali was silent for a bit before speaking, but the initial silence was enough to bother the pitcher. "Can we talk about this when we get home? The players are gonna come in soon and this is a conversation we should have, not rush."

"Yea okay sure." Ashlyn nodded. 

Ali smiled before going into the noisy locker room, she opened a locker before slamming it to get the players attention. "You all are going to listen, and listen well. I am not pregnant, nor are Ashlyn and I married right now. Pinoe, stop teasing my girlfriend because Grandma Harris made your plane ride fun. The next person to bring up babies gets rough hands Gustavo. Do I make myself clear?"

The entire locker room along with some staff members nodded and mumbled in agreement before the brunette left the room. 

"Fiesty babe." Ashlyn whispered as she walked past.

"You love it."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

The couple dropped their work bags in the foyer as soon as the walked in the front door. Ashlyn went straight to the kitchen to warm up some leftovers while Ali kicked their bags into the laundry room. She went into the living room and dropped onto the couch and in less than a second, Ashlyn was there with two plates of food and carbonated water. 

"One for me and one for my babe." Ashlyn cheesed which earned her a lingering kiss.

"You're so corny." Ali said before taking a bite of their leftover dinner. "I want kids with you. I know that much, and I know we haven't been together long but you're the first person that I've truly realized that with. And I think we'd know whenever we wanted them. Although I think the off-season would be ideal for the both of us." She blurted as Ashlyn stared at her. 

"You do know that if you want to give birth during the off-season, you'd have to get pregnant during the season, right?" Ashlyn said with a smile she could barely contain. 

Ali but her lip as she thought. "Oh, I guess you're right. I mean you have plenty of room in this big house, it could definitely use some more company, maybe some pets and kids. So I guess we're having a baby."

"Yup, we're having a baby. That means we have to make some appointments though." Ashlyn said in a nonchalant tone. 

"Yea, we'll call the doctor's office tomorrow before we travel for the final games. Then we'll be pregnant." Ali replied in the same tone as the pitcher. They sat there eating in silence until Ashlyn placed both her own plate and Ali's on the coffee table before lifting her into her arms. 

"We're gonna have BABY!" Ashlyn screeched before kissing the brunette hard and deeply. "We're not moving too fast right? I don't want-"

Ali kissed her again to silence her ramblings. "We're gonna have a baby. And we're moving just fine, although I wouldn't mind some more of our baby making practice." She finished with a wink. 

"Woman, you know I love it too. Whoa this is a huge step, we're taking this huge step together. God-" Ashlyn leaned in and kissed her hard once more. "We're gonna start a family, our own family."

"I love the sound of that, 'starting our own family'." Ali said softly on her lips. "This is an incredible commitment but doing it with you, makes it feel much more at ease. Like I'm excited but I'm calm."

Ashlyn nodded in agreement, "I know this is our decision but you think Grandma planted the seed for this?"

"Who knows, but I'm sure of what I want so, I don't think Grandma have anything do with it." Ali stated. 

"I'm freaking excited babe! Like way too excited." Ashlyn gushed with the brunette still in her arms. 

Ali leaned in and kissed her again, "You're not the only one, but you need to put me down if you want that elbow sprain to heal. Also I want our baby to see pictures of you lifting that World Series trophy, so you need to be healthy."

"Babe I only need one arm to carry you." She boasted while making it a show to only use her good arm to carry her girlfriend to their bedroom. "And I only need one hand to get this baby making practice going."

"Mmm someone's cocky." Ali said as she kissed down the blonde's throat. 

"I'm a pitcher baby, what do you expect."


	45. Snoogy Woogy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have another chapter! :D

"Okay Ms.Krieger, everything looks okay. You're perfectly healthy and we've taken some samples from your ovaries to make sure everything is looking good and healthy down there. We'll give you a call when we get the results back. As of right now, the both of you can browse through the donation book to pick a sample as we get the results back." Dr.Lancaster informed as she disposed her gloves and washed her hands.

"Thank you." Ashlyn smiled as she picked up the donation binder and shook the doctor's hands while Ali got dressed again. 

"So how soon until we should expect your call? Are there any medications I should take our stop taking as of right now?" Ali asked as she picked up her carry-on bag. 

"First child?" Dr.Lancaster asked with a knowing look as the couple blushed. 

Ashlyn kissed the side of Ali's head. "That obvious?"

"Hmm so-so. You two were asking questions all day. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I sense some good natured nervousness." Dr.Lancaster explained. "And Ali, as long as you aren't taking any doctor prescribed medications then you should be okay. I'll email you everything you need to know before we proceed with any insemination."

"Okay. Well Ashlyn and I travel a lot. So if we don't return a call in a few hours, it'd be best to email any results." Ali informed. She didn't want her or Ashlyn to miss out on anything because of long work hours with the team.

"I will do so, congratulations on moving forward with the life changing decision of having a baby." Dr.Lancaster smiled before shaking their hands. 

"It was nice to meet you, Dr.Lancaster. Honestly, you've been dream so far." Ashlyn thanked with an outstretched hand. 

Dr.Lancaster returned the handshake before returning a hug that Ali was leaning in for. "It was a pleasure to have you both here. And I wish you both well on your upcoming games."

The couple said the last of their thank you before practically rushing to their awaiting Uber to take them to the airport. They were flying out to Colorado for their last three game series before they're publically alerted in the press and league about their qualifiers status. They knew they were going to qualify, even with if they didn't win the last series, but they were going to end the regular season strong. 

The Uber car parked at the airport and the helped them bring it their bags out before leaving. Ashlyn tried to grab both of the bags until Ali slapped her hand away and took the bags. 

"We talked about you messing up your arm even more." Ali chastised. "I'll carry the bags, I'm not pregnant yet."

"Fine." Ashlyn grumbled as they made their way into the airport. They were stopped quite a bit by fans that knew the Senators were traveling today and wanted way more pictures than they actually needed. Somehow they managed to get away from them and meet the rest of the team at the gate. 

"Did you two get arrested or something?" Andy asked as they got ready to enter the departure gate. 

Ali chuckled as she followed, "Oh no, but close to that. We were nearly accosted by our lovely and famous pitcher's over eager fans. That's all." 

"Ah well hopefully you get used to that because I hate to say that they really don't let up." Andy chuckled as they walked out to board the private jet. 

Ali put away their bags before moving over to sit in the aisle seat while Ashlyn took the window seat. "So I'm gonna be pretty busy for the next few days, even when we get back to DC. So if Dr.Lancaster calls, you'll take it."

"Will do baby-mama." Ashlyn smiled as she pulled out her laptop to pick out a movie for them. 

Ali gawked at her before pinching her bicep rather hard. She leaned in to whisper, "Don't ever call me that unless you want to be paying child support for 18 years."

Ashlyn went wide eyed at the seriousness of the brunette next to her. Her eyes nearly popped out of her eyes when the brunette burst out laughing. "Babe...are you okay because I don't think anything you said was funny."

"Aww baby," Ali said as she kissed her pitcher's lips softly. "I was kidding."

Ashlyn raised her eyebrows, "Well shit, Al, your sarcasm is lacking." She ended with a chuckle. 

"Granted, baby-mama isn't my favorite name of endearment. I wouldn't leave you childless for it, we'll just have to work on them before I get pregnant and give birth."

"So no Sugar Bear?" Ali shook her head. "Honeyboo? Snoogy Woogy?" Ali made a digusted face. "Well don't worry, I'll have plenty for you and our baby sooner or later. By then, you're gonna have to deal with it."

"You're lucky your hot." Ali groaned before leaning her head on the pitcher's strong shoulder to get comfortable for their movie. 

Ashlyn turned her head to kiss the crown of Ali's before turning on the movie. "You mean fucking sexy. But you, my SnoogyWoogy are damn right beyond words for beautiful."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

They'd been in Colorado for entire day and while the team were out in the stadium facing the Rapids, Ashlyn was inside the stadium gym doing strengthening exercises for her elbow. She was ready to hit some cardio when her phone started ringing through the gym. She nearly didn't hear it over the loud heavy rock music blaring through the gym speakers, but the moment she saw the contact, Ashlyn nearly jumped over the elliptical to grab it. 

"Hello, Dr.Lancaster." Ashlyn yelled over the music while looking for a way to turn down the blaring music. 

"Yes, Ashlyn. I tried calling Ali first but I remember that you two did warn me to try the both of you before emailing the information, but I said, hey why not both?" Dr.Lancaster said. "If you're not busy I have the results of Ali's tests."

Ashlyn finally turned the music off before she could answer. "No, no, I'm not busy."

"Okay, well that's great. Well Ali's results were perfect, if I say so myself. I do believe that you two won't have much, if any issues getting pregnant. Whenever you two decide on the donor you'd like, we can get started immediately. Any questions?" Dr.Lancaster explained. 

"That's great news, really great news. I'll relay this to Ali and we'll talk when we get back to DC. Thank you Dr.Lancaster." Ashlyn grinned from ear to ear. 

"You both are very welcome, I hope to hear from the both of you soon." Dr.Lancaster said before hanging up. 

Ashlyn did fist pumps, Irish feet taps and quite a few more celebratory motions before grabbing her water and towels and running up to the dugout. She slid in behind Ali and discreetly placed an arm on her waist while leaning down near her ear. To anyone else it looked as if they were just watching the game. 

"I have something to tell you." Ashlyn whispered. 

Ali leaned back into her before answering. "And what's that?"

"Dr.Lancaster called me while I was in the gym and informed me that you, my beautiful SnoogyWoogy are one hundred percent healthy and we should start looking at that donor's book." Ashlyn replied, feeling the smile erupt on her face. 

Ali turned in her arms with a surprised look. "Really? Already?!"

"Yes, really. After the game, I say we go out to lunch then we have a little fun-" Ashlyn said while waggling her eyebrows. "Then we can look through the donor book, Dr.Lancaster gave us."

"Hmm, food, sex and sperm donors, sounds romantic." Ali said with heavy sarcasm on the last part. 

Ashlyn quickly kissed the corner of her lips and nodded. "The most romantic thing ever."

Ali would've kissed the blonde but loud cheers from the Senators fans in the crowd made them break away before anything could happen. Crystal just hit a hard ball to send Moe and Abby running into home plate, putting the Senators up 4-1 in the bottom of the 9th. The Senators finished out the game with the same scoreline. They gave the typical sportsmanship handshakes before leaving for recovery. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Both Ashlyn and Ali moved in sych as their fingers both plunged into each other. Harsher breaths and louder moans and grunts left their mouth as each one got closer and closer to falling over the edge. Ali moved their fingers and positioned them so that their clitoris touched, before applying more of her body weight on top of Ashlyn to put more pressure on their sensitive buds. Ali took on the charge of moving her hips to drive the both of them in a world of pleasure. Ali's head dropped her head onto her pitcher's chest while her hips moved. Ashlyn kissed her forehead before nudging her with her nose to look at her, once Ali did, Ashlyn caught her lips in a tounge heavy and deep kiss. She grabbed her hips and moved them faster while bucking her own hips into Ali's. They continued to move until they came with shoutsof each other's name while they slowly moved against each other. Ali kissed her slowly as she let out a more than satisfied breath on her lips before kissing her more intensely and rolling off of her pitcher. 

"That was amazing." Ali breathed with a hand on her chest. 

Ashlyn raised an eyebrow, "Amazing? That was possible the best thing the world's ever made."

Ali palmed her cheek before kissing her again. "Well now that we've probably woken up the entire hotel floor with our 'best thing the world's ever made' sex. I think we should crack open that donor's book."

"Oh don't damper the mood Snoogy Woogy." Ashlyn whined while moving her hand over to the nightstand and grabbing her leftover lunch. 

"Eww Ash, I don't know what's worse. That nickname or the fact that you're eating food that hasn't been refrigerated for nearly an hour." Ali stated as she sat on Ali's waist and stopped her from taking the most likely bad food, and took the donor book. "Now you're gonna help, so we can decide on which one to pick."

"Hmm, I don't wanna think about which donor is gonna be in my woman." Ashlyn mumbled but sat up so she could look over the choices. 

"If you had the parts to knock me up, babe, we probably would've had a truckload of babies by now. But honestly, I'm more than happy with the parts you do have." Ali smiled as she kissed her before opening the book. 

The couple spend near two hours looking over and debating which donors were the best. Which resulted in some petty reasons and hilarious discussions between the two, before they could finally come to a conclusion of their final two candidates. 

"Okay, so my pick had a 3.5 GPA in college, played water polo, is a nurse anesthesiologist, loves family, isn't allergic to anything and he had a clean bill of health. He has red hair and green eyes and he's a bit tall." Ali read off, "I think this is the person."

"Yea but I had a 3.8 GPA in college, that guy's a loser. The one I picked. played high school and college baseball, he was the pitcher might I add. Has dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes. No family health history problems, and he's healthy as well. He was the valedictorian in high school and now he teaches Math at the University of Maryland. He thinks he's funny, charming, and extremely family oriented." Ashlyn replied. 

Ali took the laminated paper from the pitcher as she looked over the entire profile. She placed both profiles back in the donor book and leaned back down to kiss her pitcher deeply. "You picked someone that's just like you. Although, not better than you but we'll take it. That's too cute."

"I didn't want to seem conceited but if I could in any way share some of my traits with you, then I'd try to do that to the best of my abilities. But even if I couldn't, It'd still love you both and be as excited and supportive as ever." Ashlyn spoke with nothing but honesty and love. 

"Our baby is going to be more than loved than ever. I mean with your more than generous family and the two from mine, I'd say this baby is gonna have no chance to escape the love."

"So donor number 18065?" Ashlyn smiled on her lips. 

"Donor 18065 it is." Ali nodded.


	46. 16 Tests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back from Spring Break and these teachers sure know how to slap a girl with tests and work :l but no matter, I squeezed this little chappie in :)

"This is kinda weird." Ali stated as her head moved to the side to see past the stirrups and sheet covering her. 

Ashlyn's head popped up from behind the sheet covering her girlfriend. "Not weird, I think this is pretty cool actually."

A sound chuckle left Dr.Lancaster's lips as she finished up the procedure. She allowed Ashlyn to come in as long as she changed into scrubs, surgery covering gown, hair cap and a face mask while she did the procedure. "We're almost finished here Ali."

"Oh goodie, I mean Ash has seen all of that down there before, but she won't stop moving and it's making me feel weird." Ali explained while trying to get a better look at where Ashlyn was. 

"Okay, we're all done." Dr.Lancaster said as she took off her gloves and disposed of them. "If it means anything, I think believe this one will be very attentive during your pregnancy. And that's a good thing. Now Ali, you'll need to lay here for 10 more minutes before getting back dressed, then you'll come back in 3 weeks, then 6 to solidly confirm your pregnancy."

"We will definitely be here." Ashlyn grinned before kissing Ali's forehead. 

"That's great to hear. Also I would encourage you both to buy pregnancy tests and check every two weeks leading up to both your 3 week and 6 week appointments." Dr.Lancaster said.

"We can do that. Thank you Doctor." Ali replied. 

Dr.Lancaster nodded, "Well you both have my number, any questions, give me a call. If their aren't anymore questions, have a nice day ladies." The doctor smiled as she left the room. 

"You did amazing baby." Ashlyn mumbled on her forehead. 

Ali tilted up her head to give her a peck. "Well you were looking around down there so you had to know how it went." She said with some sarcasm. 

"I can't help it. I was interested, I thought I'd be a bit grossed out but I kind of wanted to cry a bit when she said it was done because it was beautiful Al." Ashlyn explained while laying soft kisses in her hair. 

"Ash you're gonna make me cry." Ali commented as she squeezed the pitcher's forearm.

"I'm sorry baby." Ashlyn kissed her softly. "We're gonna have a baby, SnoogyWoogy."

Ali choked out a laugh as she wiped away happy tears, "You are hilarious. But yes, we're gonna have a baby."

▪▪▪▪▪▪  
**2 weeks later, Mid March**

"Ash!" Ali called out from the bathroom as she looked at the sixth pregnancy test she'd finished peeing on. She saw the exact same result as the other five and counted the seconds until Ashlyn came barreling back into the bathroom. 

Ashlyn burst through the door with a bottle of water and a bag of unopened pregnancy tests. "I have more."

Ali snorted and shook her head before moving to wash her hands. "Ashl-"

"We're not pregnant are we?" Ashlyn said in such a quiet voice that even surprised Ali.

"What? Ashlyn no, we are pregnant. I just...I'm just kind of tired of you forcing water down my throat and more pregnancy tests for me to pee on. But after the fourth test, babe we're pregnant, like all sixteen tests say." Ali explained and took the blonde's hands into her own. 

Ashlyn slid down the bathtub and ran a hand through her hair. "Jesus, Al, you scared the living crap out of me. I thought...I thought we lost it and I..."

Ali slid down next to her and coaxed her head into her chest. "Our baby is okay Ash. Your SnoogyWoogy is okay and my Green Giant is okay."

"Okay, oh thank goodness." Ashlyn breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she heard Ali's words. "Can I see them?"

Ali nodded as she took all six tests from the counter before sitting down next to her. "Two blue lines for all of them."

Ashlyn held them, moved them around in her hands. "This is pretty amazing."

"Yes it is and now we have to hurry to practice since my star pitcher is in the post-season." Ali grinned before getting up and pulling Ashlyn up with her. She was surprised when Ashlyn pulled her into a deep kiss, hands already going into the back of Ali's sleep shorts. 

"Mmm baby, we're already late to practice." Ali moaned but showed no real desire to stop the pitcher. 

"What's 30 more minutes?" Ashlyn grinned before lifting her into her arms and pushing her tounge in her mouth. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"You two are late." Andy said without looking up from his clipboard. Ashlyn and Ali tried to avoid him while sneaking in but the Australian seemed hard to bypass. "Don't you both know it's our league qualifiers. I can't afford lateness."

"Won't happen again coach." Ashlyn smiled before patting him on the back and heading to her locker to change. 

"So who are we facing this year?" Pinoe asked while pulling the drawstrings on her pants. "It better be a good one though, I want a challenge, you know. Not some weakass team that can't find their head from their ass."

"My goodness, your mouth Megan." Andy said with an appalled face. "Anyways, Boston somehow managed to secure the wild card seed, so they face us, since we're number one in the National League. Whereas Connecticut and Florida are on the other side. In the American League it's NYC verses the wild card team of Wichita, and the Trojans verses Seattle."

"So some good competition." Pinoe nodded before turning to Ashlyn. "I don't want to see you throw the game for Florida if we end of up facing them." She said teasingly. 

"We'll see, you never know what this surfer girl might do." the DC pitcher said with a wink. 

Syd grabbed Ashlyn in a tight hold as they walked up to the dugout, "Listen Harris, my man and his family and my family are all planning a trip to come here and watch us win the World Series. I will kill you before you ever throw the game. Got it?"

"Got it Syd, jeez. I'm not actually gonna throw the game. We're gonna win that trophy twice and show the WMLB why the DC Senators are the best team in all of women's baseball." Ashlyn informed with a tone that'd make anyone believe her. 

"That's The spirit Harris." Andy yelled as he and other staff members brought the equipment onto the field. The team like always went hard during practice, never letting up in each other, not once. Because the finish line was practically right in front if them, if they messed up, then all the hard work during the season would be for nothing. If they got to the final them it'd be at most a grueling 21 game series in the span of 4 to 5 weeks. They needed to be prepared for that, so that meant everyone on the staff needed to make sure they were always pushing harder for the next game. So come the final series, they're at one hundred percent fitness, drive, dedication and passion. 

Once practice ended, Andy called the players and staff members to the middle of the field.

"I need everyone to listen up. Playtime is over. Fun time is over. This is post-season, this is the time where everyone's dreams and hopes are given a chance. This is where one hundred percent doesn't mean a damn thing I'd your head isn't one hundred percent with you. I'm asking for a lot, and I'll continue doing it as the post-season goes on. Each series will get more grueling, each one will drag out longer and longer as you face better opponents. It won't get easier and teams that you think will be easy, will put out such exemplary forms of heart and passion that you won't know what hit you." Andy spoke as he looked around at each and every face around him. 

"We face Boston in two days at home. In two days we start the ascent to our peak fitness, drive, passion and heart. So this team and city can host the World Series trophy and the best WMLB team in the country." Andy stated. "Now Senators on three and hit the showers. One. Two. Three!"

"SENATORS!" Both players and staff shouted before heading in for much needed recovery and showers. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

The players all headed to Pinoe's to hang out before they had to get ready to host the Boston team for the division playoffs. None of the players were afraid or nervous to go against Boston because they swept them during the regular season. But Andy had a point, most of the teams in the playoffs would work their asses off during the division playoffs. Not to mention the fact that Boston hard to beat another team to secure the wild card spot, however, that meant they'd have to face the number one team in National League, the Senators.

"So do yall think Boston has a chance?" Pinoe asked over her chicken cesar salad. 

Hope sipped her water and shrugged. "I mean we had no problem beating them numerous times but you never know what they'll bring to the pitch."

"Yea but we're the number one team in the National League. I think we can handle Boston." Pinoe stated. 

"Pinoe, look, nobody knows what will happen. We can be cocky for however long we want to be but the fact is Boston can be a sporadic team. Besides, it's a 5 game series, who knows how who will hang in there. Maybe you'll gas out Pinoe." Abby ended with a teasing smile and a little jab. 

"Yea yea, we'll see who croaks first old timer." Pinoe grinned and nudged her back. 

Moe swiveled her chair towards Ashlyn. "What about our pitcher? You guys think she's gonna hang in there?"

Ashlyn rolled her eyes as she placed both her own and Ali's Asian lettuce wraps on the table. She looked around the room at her teammates before turning to the young player. "It's Moe Moe doubting me and my skills?"

Moe raised up her hands, "I'm just saying, that's a lot of games and we'll need you to be your best."

"No no, I get it but our number two pitcher, Maddie is gonna have to be on top of her game because I won't be pitching for the whole thing." Ashlyn squeezed the number two's shoulder before sitting down to eat. "But I know she has my back, all of our backs. We're gonna be solid guys."

"That was sweet." Ali commented with a little hip check. 

Ashlyn shrugged humbly. "She needs encouragement to keep her head on straight during this entire post-season. And she earned it, she's the real deal and she need to know."

Ali kissed her cheek before digging into her food. "Well I can't wait for it to begin. I know I'm not playing or anything but I'm going to make sure that I take care of you guys. Every game, I'll make sure you all are one hundred percent."

"We know Al, we know." Ashlyn informed before taking a bite out of Ali's lettuce wrap. "So what's our plan on telling people about our little bundle of joy that's growing in your belly?"

"The team is basically our family and if it's okay with you then I'd like to tell them first. And then our immediate family, I don't know, I just...that's what I think." Ali rambled as she explained. 

Ashlyn nodded in agreement. "I like that. We could tell the gals and then after the post-season we can tell our family. So not only is my SnoogyWoogy beautiful, she's darn smart."

"That nickname Ash isn't even endearing." Ali chuckled. "So after I reach six or seven weeks, we should tell them."

"Will do baby-mama."

"The names only get worse." Ali drawled and sipped on her fruit juice. 

"Our baby is gonna be my little Boogie Bear." Ashlyn cooed while running her fingers gently over Ali's flat stomach. 

"You are so so so lucky you're cute because you are hilarious. Boogie Bear? That's what you're going to call our child, because of you are, then I get naming privileges." Ali stated. 

Ashlyn gave her a big wet kiss before throwing their trash away. "You say that now, but soon everyone will be calling our child Boogie Bear or Boogie. You'll just have to get used to it, sorry babe."

"Like I said, it's a good thing you're cute." Ali smiled and gave her another peck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have some gameplay in the next


	47. Fixed Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys :P but here it is.

"Okay ladies, I've checked Ali's hormone levels which prove she's still pregnant. And if you both would like, I could show you images on the doppler?" Dr.Lancaster informed. 

"Yes, we would really want that." Ali grinned, barely able to keep her excitement at bay. 

Ashlyn nodded in agreement. "What she said."

Dr.Lancaster smiled and brought the machine over to Ali. She moved the patient gown over before grabbing the gel. "Now I know you've seen it on tv plenty of times, but truth is, it's really going to be cold."

"Go ahead Doc, I can take it." Ali chuckled. 

"Well you asked for it." Dr.Lancaster said as she squirted a copious amount of the gel onto Ali's belly which ignited a squeaky yelp from the brunette which also made Ashlyn giggle. "I told you." Dr.Lancaster reminded before taking the doppler and moving it around until she found the correct spot. She leaned over to the screen and pointed to a spot on the screen. "And there is your baby. Albeit you're only 3 weeks pregnant, you're baby looks healthy. Just continue to stay away from stress, bad foods, and keep taking your prenatal vitamins."

"She's been doing all of that and she still manages to be calm and stress free while her job is to deal with over 40 player's recovery sessions." Ashlyn grinned. "She's pretty amazing."

"That's great to hear. Has Ali been experiencing any morning sickness, nausea, or trouble keeping her food down?" Dr.Lancaster asked as she filled out the paper on her clipboard. 

"No way. But if she had, I would've drove her here myself." Ashlyn spoke honestly. 

"Okay, that's good. Now when you come back at six weeks, or seven, since you two are in the post-season I believe. I can do a blood test of the fetus and tell you the gender at that appointment as opposed to waiting until 18 weeks." Dr.Lancaster offered.

"We'll totally do that. Although, I think we might be at the World Series at that time. Babe, maybe you can ask Andy for a morning off for personal reasons, so then you can come here." Ashlyn suggested.

"Yea but it depends on where we'll be that day of the series. Dr.Lancaster, I'll call you in few weeks to make an appointment, that way I can actually know when I can actually make it." Ali stated.

"That is completely fine with me. And I know you two will be doing plenty of long distance travels and games but don't forget to continue checking with pregnancy tests and using prenatals. These kinds of things help so much for your nerves and keeps the baby healthy." Dr.Lancaster informed. 

"We will, thank you Doctor." Ashlyn said before she left the room. She pulled up a seat next to her wife and kissed her cheek as Ali started to get dressed. "So you might learn the baby's gender before me."

"Yup, sorry babe. But I will think of a wonderful and exciting way to tell you, if it happens that way." Ali promised and zipped up her team khakis. 

"I'll hold you to it."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Ladies!" Andy called out, getting their attention. "I've told you all everything you need to know for today. We've gone over the game plan and all the tactics. Today should be muscle memory for all you. The scouting we've done on Boston is more than enough to combat them tonight. Clean game ladies, Boston might play dirty, you never know, but I want nothing but a clean game from you all. Now let's go out there and get that win."

The players all said words of acknowledgement before grabbing their equipment and heading up to the dugouts. Theywent through the motions of the pre-game ceremonies before Pinoe took the plate first, as always. The Boston pitcher nodded to her catcher and threw a dropping pitch, right on the corner of the strike zone but didn't prompt Pinoe to swing for it which still gave her a strike. Pinoe went back into her stance and waited for a pitch she'd like, she waited for the right kind floater before she knocks it far into the left outfield. She quickly slid onto first base as an outfielder nearly tagged her out. 

Surprisingly, Moe took the plate, she got a strike on the first pitch and then the second before she had to jump away from home plate when the next pitch was entirely too close to her. There were a good amount of yells coming from the Senators' dugout.

"Are you and that pitcher fucking blind! She tried to hit her, clear as day!" One of the Senators' bench yelled out which earned them harsh reprimand from the head umpire. 

Andy patted the staffer's back before turning back to the game. "Keep your head in the game Moe, it's alright."

Moe nodded and went back to focusing. She gripped the bat tighter and looked the pitcher down. She connected on a spinning ball straight down the center and out of the reach of the Boston shortstop. Pinoe really had to haul ass so she could get to 2nd base safely. Abby took the plate next and gave a smile as she checked her swing. The first and second pitch are completely wide, the third pitch nails Abby right in corner of her neck and helmet. The entire crowd boo and throw out insults to both pitcher and head umpire who is now deliberating with the assistant umpires. 

"Are you kidding me! Fucking hell man, that was on purpose!" Andy screeched from the dugout with a very prominent vein coming out of his neck. He all but raced out of the dugout and pointed a finger into the umpire's chest. "You let the first one go, but this is unacceptable! That's my fucking player out there!"

"GET BACK TO YOUR DUGOUT OR I'LL THROW YOU OUT!" The head umpire yelled back at Andy after slapping his hand away. 

Andy shook his head and with tightened fists made his way back to the Senators' dugout. "That guy is a fucking prick, I should kick his ass."

Marcus held him by the shoulders and especially tighter when the head umpire didn't eject the Boston pitcher. 

"That's bullshit." Multiple players said as they watched the situation unfold. 

Hope stepped up to plate and held her stance steady. The pitcher sent a close ball to Hope that caused her to lean backward to avoid it. There were yells from the Senators' dugout but the head umpire ignored. The next pitch Hope hit well, sending to into the air. The outfielders caught it right after it hit the ground, but somehow the umpire called it an out. Then the Boston outfielders threw it to third to stop Moe, however the pass hit Moe in the side and caused her to hit the dirt in pain and then tagged out for a second out. By this time, everyone in the stands and the Senators' dugout were beyond pissed. They were called for two "outs" that shouldn't even have been outs. Not to mention, that Moe looked to be purposely hurt by the Boston outfielder but nothing was called. Andy was livid and it took everything in him not to storm the field again as Ali and her assistants helped both Abby and Moe.

The game went on like this till the end, Boston's outfielders, infielders, pitcher and batters seemed to all want to harm the Senators in some way. In the 6th inning Pinoe took a pitch to the face and had it not been for the helmet, it would've hit her hard. Boston outfielders and infielders were aiming passes at the players rather than each other's gloves. They'd impede DC's runners path dangerously and then try to use their cleats to step on ankles. The worst part is that neither the head umpire or the assistant umpires would call Boston for any of it. Instead they kept making botched call after botched call, screwing over the Senators. By the bottom of the 9th inning, Ashlyn had been hit with nearly four pitches that Boston batters just seemed to keep hitting straight at her. It came to a point where the Senators were winning by runs scored in various innings but Andy couldn't take the blatant cheating and unsportsmanship going on before his eyes. 

Andy stormed the field and all but shoved the head umpire. "Are you fucking kidding me! How the hell is this game even still going on! You all are a bunch of cheats!"

"I told you to go back to your dugout or I'll throw you out!" the head umpire yelled back. 

"How on earth did you get this job when you and your lackeys are blind as fuck and stupid as hell! That team is harming my players and you fuckers are allowing it to happen!" Andy bit out. He was beyond pissed and wanted nothing more than to break the older guy's nose for payback. 

"That's it! You're out of here!" the head umpire yelled while making the signal for throwing him out of the game. But Andy didn't care, he got into the umpire's face. 

"You're going to have to call security, you cheating fuck." Andy spat and gave the umpire another shove before security did come out and escort him down to the locker rooms. 

The entire Senators' dugout was livid and so were the fans. This game was beyond fucked up and they just wanted it to end. Ashlyn closed out the inning in no time and headed straight towards their dugout, avoiding any Boston player that tried to shake her hand. The Senators clapped for their fans before heading into the locker room. 

"Fuck that team." Pinoe said as she ripped off her uniform. 

"Just calm down Pinoe." Abby spoke as Ali rubbed a cream into her shoulder and cheek. 

"No, I mean that was complete garbage from them. I get that we're the number one team in National League but they were trying to injure us out there." Pinoe argued. 

"I know that. Hope and I are going talk to Andy and the commissioner about this game and the umpires. We'll figure it out, until then, do not come in contact with anyone from Boston.That goes for everyone in here, go home, and pack, that's it. I'll deal with the media tonight." Abby said sternly to the entire team. 

"Got it Abby." Ashlyn said and slammed her locker. No one was happy, and Ashlyn was just as pissed off. She was a true player of the game and to see both the Boston team and the game officials act with such disgusting qualities, angered her. 

"Hey," Ali said coming behind Ashlyn with a hand to her lower back. "How's your side?"

"It's fine, just sore. Don't worry babe." Ashlyn assured and kissed her forehead and headed to the showers. 

Marcus entered the locker room and got everyone's attention. "I know you all have questions but I'm going to keep to schedule as of right now. Hit the showers, get something to eat, and go home to pack and sleep. And don't forget to stop by the recovery and get worked on, you're going to need it after what happened tonight. And I mean that. Good work out there tonight. You all handled it will and both Andy and I commend you all for it."

The players nodded and did as said. They gathered their belongings after a rather long recovery session and said their good byes before leaving to their vehicles. Ashlyn and Ali climbed into the pitcher's black Jeep and started the drive back home. Once inside, Ali took their bags and started the laundry, so it'd be clean before they left for their flight tomorrow. She came up behind the pitcher and molded her body to her back, with her arms wrapped around the pitcher's strong torso and her chin on her shoulder. 

"What's going on in Green Giant's mind?" She asked with a gentle kiss to her neck. 

Ashlyn immediately covered her hands with her own and leaned into her touch. "I'm just thinking about that game."

"Has this ever happened before?"

"Nah, I mean we've played teams where they were dirty players. But tonight felt completely fixed. Boston was trying to harm us, the umpires did nothing to protect us and made bs calls. It was just a mess, but at least we pulled out with the win." Ashlyn spoke. 

"Hopefully everything works itself off. Especially since Andy was thrown out of this game, I can't imagine him being any calmer during game 2." Ali stated while rubbing circles into her abdomen. 

"Ugh the thought of have to pay then at least 2 more times is disgusting. But yea, I'm definitely hoping everything gets figured out." Ashlyn replied before turning Ali around in her arms. "But you want to know what's gonna make it all better?"

Ali grinned with a raised eyebrow. "Enlighten me." She squealed as Ashlyn abruptly picked her up with handfuls of her ass in the pitcher's palms and lips running down her throat. She let out a moan, reaching a hand to entangle in the blonde hair. 

"Me making you cum for until you can't take anymore." Ashlyn said hotly on her throat before dropping her into the king sized bed and fulfilling her promise.


	48. Rest Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...I just got in a car accident earlier today. I'm okay :) a little shaken up from the ordeal, but as of right now I feel fine. Nonetheless, I have a chapter finished that's really just smut soooo enjoy :)

The Senators had swept Boston in the wild card game 3-0. It wasn't an easy series but they managed to pull through after all the antics that continued to go on throughout all three games. Andy was allowed back before the 2nd game of the series but only after the Senators' administration and fans on social media got the attention of the WMLB commissioners who then suspended both the Boston team and administration from the next season and the next post-season. They also dropped fines on every player and staff member for the Boston team. 

After all the the games the Senators were exhausted but continued pushing. They'd already played 3 games in 5 days and received quite the beating through it all. But thanks to the fact that they swept Boston, they got a few extra days of rest before having to fly out to San Francisco to face the Trojans for the National League championships, whoever wins this series was going to the World Series to represent their league and the Senators wanted that spot. And they were well on their way to it as well, seeing as how they were leading the Trojans in the series with 3-2. It'd been nearly a week and a half since they ended their they started the series with the Trojans and they were hoping to put an end to the series tomorrow and punch their ticket to the finals. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn couldn't help but watch in disgust as her girlfriend smeared peanut butter, zucchini slices and scrambled eggs on a piece of toast before taking a huge bite out of it. A sound of content left Ali's mouth but left Ashlyn wide-eyed. The pitcher was going to act like she never saw anything until Ali reached for the cream cheese, that's when she had to put an end to it. 

"Nuh huh, babe I love you, like really really love you. But I can't watch this." Ashlyn said as she tried to not to gag at the smell.

Ali gave her a look that said 'don't mess with my food' but the blonde wasn't giving up even when she tried to take the cream cheese from her. "Ashlyn you better give me that dang cream cheese."

"I can't let you do this to yourself, it's not right. And I'd be a terrible girlfriend if I let you do it." Ashlyn said, standing firm on her decision. 

"Yea well our baby needs to eat and they want cream cheese added to my slice of toast. Now give it here." Ali said with a pouty face. 

Ashlyn closed her eyes at the brunette, hoping that if she didn't look then she couldn't be persuaded. "I'm doing this for the both of you. You'll thank me when you're not on the toilet pooping for hours. 

"Ashlynnn!" Ali whined louder and if it was even possible, she up'd her pouty face with the addition of puppy eyes. So when Ashlyn cracked her eyes open a little bit, she was doomed from the start. 

The pitcher relented to the brunette and handed over the cream cheese. "Just use it sparingly, please." She said but frowned and shuddered when she saw a good chunk go on the toast. 

"It's not that bad Ash, you're just overreacting." Ali stated as she finished off her slice of loaded toast and wiped her fingers. "I could make you one if you want?" 

"Yea well this is the National League Division Championships, I can't have diarrhea barking down my back because I wanted to appease my beautiful, pregnant girlfriend's odd cravings." Ashlyn pointed out. 

Ali just shrugged and opened the loaf of bread again. "Your loss."

"Tell me about." Ashlyn chuckled with sarcasm laden in her tone. She teasingly groaned when the brunette had puckered lips waiting for a kiss. She leaned in and kissed her soundly before pulling away with a 'bleh' sound. "Your mouth tastes like it." She complained before reaching for the orange juice. 

Ali merely shrugged before making herself another slice to eat. She only got halfway through when she discarded the slice of loaded toast on her plate and wordlessly took the blonde's glass of juice right from her hands. 

"Babe please," Ashlyn said as she tried to get it back but the brunette kept it away from her. 

Ali placed the glass on the table before standing from her single couch seat and perched herself over the pitcher's thighs and rested her hands on her shoulders. She leaned down to kiss her girlfriend slowly, moving their lips in completely harmony, but Ali led it. She heard Ashlyn let out a soft moan as her hands moved to Ali's thighs and Ali tightened her grip in Ashlyn blonde's locks. 

"Baby..." Ashlyn tried to say through the kiss but Ali kept her lips rather occupied. Her hands gripped at the brunette's ass before moving her lips to her neck. "Babe, today is rest day."

Ali smirked before leaning back to lift the long sleeve t-shirt over her head and watched as her pitcher's eyes got wide. "Close you your mouth babe, something might fly in there."

"When the hell did you get these and how on earth didn't I know?" Ashlyn said while she continued to stare with her mouth opened at the black and lacy bra that covered the brunette's breast. Her eyes continued to watch and she almost whined as Ali left her lap to shuck of her shorts and reveal matching panties that didn't leave much to her imagination. 

"Are you still tired?" Ali said with a raised eyebrow and sultry look as she slowly climbed back onto the pitcher's lap. 

"Tired? Who me? No way." Ashlyn blurted out before wrapping one arm around Ali's waist and the other snaked up to her cheek to bring her down for a very deep kiss. Ashlyn let out what nearly sounded like a growl when Ali's fingers slipped into her loose joggers. She tried to stand from the seat but Ali stopped her. "Let's take it to the bed." the pitcher panted.

Ali pulled away with a shake of her head. "Nuh huh, we're doing things my way today. So you're going to sit there and let me do to you what I want. Now put your hands back on the arm rest and don't pick them up until I let you."

Ashlyn gulped hard before following her beautiful girlfriend's orders. She watched as Ali sashay with a good amount swing in her hips back to the table where her phone lay. She scrolled through the device until John Legend's Tonight came on loudly over the speakers. Ali turned around with a very sexy smile that drenched Ashlyn's boxer shorts. Ashlyn was ready to jump the brunette the moment her hips started moving to beat of the music as she got closer to the blonde. Ali's hands went up to hair as she turned around right in front the pitcher before slowly going down on her lap. She moved her ass on her lap, smirking as she saw the pitcher's fingers gripping the couch. She took a seat on her lap before leaning back into her, she moved Ashlyn's face towards her before leaving teasing kisses on her lips. Ali felt Ashlyn trying to take more from the kisses but Ali was on a mission, a successful one so far, to stop her. 

Ali moved off her lap once again before moving to straddle Ashlyn. She treaded her fingers through soft blonde hair until her fingers met a hair tie and gently took it out. She gave the locks a bit of a tug so that Ashlyn looked up at her so she could give the blonde the deep kiss she'd been pining for. 

"Hands down Ashlyn." Ali yanked her hair as she spoke into her lips as Ashlyn's hands grabbed her ass.

Ashlyn gave her a look that said no. She was about to speak but for the third time that morning Ali thwarted her efforts with a wandering hand down the front of both her joggers and boxer shorts. 

"Aww fuck Al." Ashlyn moaned and removed her hands from the brunette's ass. She tried to move her hips to give Ali move room to work with. "Babe let's go to the bed. There's no space here."

Ali gave her hair another tug as her fingers finally found enough space to press into Ashlyn wet core. "I told you there's enough space." She said hotly down her neck, leaving kisses in her wake while her fingers stroked the blonde's core.

"Let me touch you, Al please." Ashlyn begged softly, her hands were practically straining at the fact that she couldn't touch her. 

Ali nipped her throat before sucking on it. "Not yet Baby." She trailed her lips up to earlobe, sucking on it as she pushed her fingers in deeper, moving slow to drive the blonde crazy. The brunette's movements were slow, deep and deliberate, every movement was effectively bringing the pitcher closer and closer to edge. Ali's lips kissed over Ashlyn's completely open mouth before nipping her throat and speeding up her thrust just enough to help the woman beneath her. She had to commend Ash for the strength not to touch her because Ali knew she could've have done the same thing.

The sound of the couch straining against Ashlyn's forever tightening fingers could be heard through the room. Her legs shook, her body curved into Ali's front and her lips smashed Ali's as she came around the brunette's fingers, dropping her head back with a deep moan. 

"Oh fuck. Oh my god, Al, that was...whew oh my god." Ashlyn spoke while trying to catch her breath. 

"I can tell you liked that." Ali purred into her ear with a few kisses on her cheek. 

Ashlyn gave her look before getting a handful of Ali's ass in both hands as she stood and all but ran into the bedroom. They both fell forward and before Ali could gather her bearings, Ashlyn smashed their lips together as her hands started moving over the cream colored skin that always had her intoxicated. She dominated the kiss as her tounge pushed into Ali's awaiting mouth and snaked her hands under the cups of the lacy bra. 

"You're beautiful, so so beautiful." Ashlyn admired to herself as she unclasped the bra from the brunette's body and removed it from her body. Ashlyn's eyes generously scanned over the milky swells of Ali's breasts before using both hands to cup them while her mouth hungrily gave them attention. The sounds leaving the brunette's mouth was enough to get her to continue with urgency. After a while, she leaned back and striped her own body of its clothing in record time before slipping her fingers in Ali's panties and ripping them off with a soft moan as she saw her glistening folds. Her hands rubbed around the area as her mind tried to figure out what to do first.

"Are you ready for me babe?" Ashlyn asked, knowing full well the answer to it. 

Ali bit her lip and nodded before breaking out in a moan as Ashlyn didn't waste time with plunging two fingers in right away while her mouth was firmly attached to her clit.

"Oh shit Ashlyn." Ali moaned as her hands went down to grip her head. "Just like that Ash."

Ashlyn continued her ministrations until she could feel Ali's back curling and her moans getting louder as she approached her release. The brunette's tugged on Ashlyn's blonde hair, trying to take more of whatever she could get from her. A hard and shaky breath was the only thing that signaled Ali's release, that and the gush of her juices that made Ashlyn moan in complete contentment. However, the pitcher showed no signs of stopping, she continued sucking on Ali's more than swollen and overly-sensitive clit. Ali's hands weakly attempted to push her away but the pleasure was just to strong. 

"Baby, more, I need more." Ali panted before a silent scream left her lips and Ashlyn sucked harder while thrusting slowly before gently licking at her drenched folds. 

Ashlyn leaned up on her elbows and looked at the brunette who was currently trying to regain her breath. She kissed the pelvis of her girlfriend as she rubbed circles into her thighs.

"What?" Ali asked as scooted up to pillows to rest comfortably. 

"I'm just wondering where did-" Ashlyn leaned over to pick up the lingerie set. "-these come from because I'm sure I would've seen them."

Ali just grinned in response. "I bought those a while ago and not to mention I've been feeling a bit more horny than usual. I was going to wait until I finished eating but my beautiful and very talented pitcher won out over food."

"Oh, I guess that's the pregnancy doing that. If so, we need to get you pregnant some more because that was hella sexy. I mean damn woman." Ashlyn said with a goofy look. 

"We'll see. As for now sexy times can wait again because me and the baby are hungry again." Ali stated and walked back, stark naked to the table and went to heat up her toast. 

"I'm hungry to but for something special." Ashlyn teased as she came up from behind to hold her. 

"Mmm don't worry, we'll be doing plenty of special things in this room all day." Ali said into the blonde's neck before leaving a kiss and going back to her food. 

"I love rest day." Ashlyn grinned.


	49. Preggie Pops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better gift for April Fools, then to give you all a real chapter rather then a prank :P

The Senators were two innings away from winning the National League championships and send them into the World Series. The Senators were leading the series already 3-2 and leading the current game with 3 runs to the Trojans 1. Ashlyn had been subbed out in the 3rd inning so she could rest for the World Series, it was a cocky move but Andy was cocky like that. So here they were in the top of the 8th inning trying to close out this game. 

"You got it Maddie! Keep it strong!" Ashlyn yelled from the dugout to encourage the second string pitcher. Ashlyn was currently having the ice bags on her arm replaced by PT assistants as we're most of all the starting players. 

Maddie gave a nod in Ashlyn's direction before getting ready for a pitch. She sent a fast floater past the batter which was called a strike. The Senators' bench cheered loudly in response as Maddie only allowed two Trojans on base before getting all three outs. Ashlyn gave the pitcher a hard pat on the back before following both her and the pitching coach to talk strategies. 

JJ took the plate and tested her swing before getting into position. She and the other non-starters had been carrying the game. It was a true test of faith in them and they were proving it was the right choice as JJ knocked the ball damn near over the barricades and into the stands. The Senators dugout chanted "Barbie can hit" as the ponytailed blonde easily put the Senators up 4-1. 

The final two innings were almost like cruise control for the Senators. The Trojans were no doubt a very good team, however, their moral dropped to almost nothing as more Senator runs went up on the board and more outs kept being called on the Trojans. Tonight wasn't their night and it showed especially as the Senators' b-string team ended the game 6-2 in favor of the Senators. Both teams did their sportsmanship words and handshakes before stepping on the field for the National League trophy presentation. 

"You think they're gonna throw shit at us for whooping their teams asses in their city?" Pinoe chuckled while bowing her head to get her medal placed on her neck. 

"If we're lucky it'll just be lukewarm drinks." Ashlyn quipped. She received a small shove from Abby who looked like she was trying not to crack a joke of her own.

"Be nice Harris before you actually wear someone's soda."

Ashlyn snorted and bowed her head to receive her medal before standing upright again. "Maybe, maybe not. But By the looks of those fans in the supporters section, it looks like we'll be wearing mustard dogs by the time we take a victory lap."

"You little shit." Abby look up only to receive a hard mean mug by an angry middle aged man. She nearly choked while trying to stifle her laughter before she received her medal. They went through the motions of receiving medals and the trophy, before posing for pictures with the trophy before making a quick victory lap for fans that traveled to San Francisco. To the Senators dismay, they actually had to dodge a few food items from bitter diehard Trojans fans. Pinoe and Syd were very close to picking the items back up and throwing it right back to the bitter fans. 

"I'm gonna kill those little fuckers." Syd growled as she wiped nacho cheese from her hair. "Nobody, and I do mean nobody messes with the hair!" She was about to jump up the barricade until Hope yanked Syd off of her feet and onto her shoulder.

"Let me go Hope, so I can murder that fat asshole." Syd protested as she struggled in the woman's grasp.

"No can do Syd. Can someone make sure Pinoe doesn't do something stupid?" Hope called out as she watched Pinoe continue to subtly taunt the bitter Trojan fans as Hope, Syd and some of the other players went into the locker room for showers and quick media time. Maddie put Pinoe in loose but tight headlock and dragged her out with a wave to fans. 

"Aww I was just getting started." Pinoe joked and moved over to her locker right as she got blasted right in the face with a bottle of gatorade. "Jesus Christ!" She yelled as she fell sideways off her seat. 

The Senators played around for a very long time, longer than they should've because when it cane time for Abby, Ashlyn, Maddie and Pinoe went into the media room soaking wet to the core with beer and gatorade. 

"So how are the Senators going to prepare for the test ahead which is the World Series? I know you guys have won the title before, but isn't it hard to repeat?" A female reporter asked above the other people.

"We've won the title before of course but this time is different. No season is ever the same, so as for how we'll prepare we'll take it one step at a time." Abby answered with practiced PR savy.

The rest of the media session went without any problems and soon the team was showered and back on the team bus to head to their hotel rooms to later head to their private plane to fly out the next evening. They helped the staff lug their gear into the rooms completely for gear.

Ashlyn walked out of the steaming bathroom to Ali who was sitting up on the headboard while reading a book. Ashlyn towel dried her hair before tossing it over the chair in the corner before laying down on her side of the hotel bed. Ali ran her hand through the pitcher's soft blonde hair as her head came to rest on her stomach. 

"I was so proud of you out there. You were amazing out there during the series and you were a great leader for Maddie." Ali said softly before laying her book on the nightstand. 

Ashlyn snuggled in closer. "Maddie needs to be confident. She'll never really see time on the field unless I'm injured or they need to rest me, and it sucks but that's just the way it is. So Maddie needs to be confident, that way she can give me a run for my money."

"You're sweet." Ali said before leaning in to kiss her forehead. "You're really sweet."

"Yea well you're dating a very very sweet woman." Ashlyn cheesed.

"Oh my sweet girl." Ali breathed. 

Ashlyn turned her head up to look at the brunette with a smirk. "I'm not your sweet girl."

Ali went wide eyed. "What? But you just said-"

Ashlyn shook her head. "I'm your sweet woman. This here-" Ashlyn raised her hand to gently rest it over her belly with a caring look in her eyes and a kiss to the fabric covered skin. "This here is our little sweet girl."

Ali nearly teared up right on the spot hearing those words leave the pitcher's lips. She nudged her slightly so she sat up near her before connecting their lips very deeply. "I love you." She said in complete adoration and seriousness before smiling. "But how do you know this bun in the oven will be our sweet girl? What if it's our sweet boy?"

Ashlyn went silent before stroking her thumb over the flat belly. "Well, it doesn't matter. They're still going to be my sweet Boogie Bear. Isn't that right Momma's little Boogie Bear, I'm probably gonna be wrapped around your finger and I wouldn't even mind it."

Ali ran her fingers through the pitcher's hair once more and listened to her speak to their unborn child. It went on for so long that Ali actually fell asleep listening to the soothing words. 

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Ashlyn rolled over in her sleep, grumbling as the light from the curtains hit her eyes. She reached out in habit for the love of her life but came up with nothing. Her eyes slowly opened and searched the room for, she was nearly about ready to grab her phone, call the police and search the hotel from top to bottom. She had one leg in her jeans when she heard someone throwing up in the bathroom right across from the bed. 

Ali was more than preoccupied with hugging the toilet to dry heave after throwing up everything she drank that morning which was a plain glass of lemon water. She had ordered room service but due to the morning sickness that hit her very hard, it laid untouched. She moaned softly and gratefully as warm hands rubbed her back and a wet cloth wiped at her forehead. 

"Are you okay, baby?" Ashlyn whispered. She got up quickly to grab a water bottle before taking her place back behind her. 

Ali groaned in response and flushed the toilet them leaned into her girlfriend. 

"Was my breath last night that bad? Or did the baby think I was so annoying, our little Boogie Bear decided to take it out on you?" Ashlyn joked lightly. 

Ali gave her a playful hit and shook her head. "No babe, just morning sickness." Ashlyn nodded into her hair and moved her hands skillfully over her sides, Ali moaned in agreement. "That feels amazing right now, but if there's any nausea medicine that I can take, I would very much appreciate it if you could find me some."

"I will, now c'mon, let's get you to the bed. I'll also order some soup for you, that should be light enough to keep down." Ashlyn stated before carrying Ali bridal style over and into the bed. 

"Hmm thank you Ash, what would I do without you?" Ali smiled with already shutting eyes. 

"The world would be a terrible place for the both of us because then we would've never met. And you are something a person waits a million years for." Ashlyn said and kissed Ali's soft and full lips. "Hang tight, I'm gonna get your stuff."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn stood completely confused in the medicine aisle picking up every nausea medicine she could see only to place them back because they had warnings for pregnant women not to take it without contacting their physician, and given the early time, Ashlyn doubted that Dr.Lancaster would even be awake to use her phone. 

"Do you need some help?" A woman behind one of the store counters asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yea, my um girlfriend is pregnant and having some pretty bad nausea. And uh-" Ashlyn chuckled while scratching the back of her neck. "-I have idea what to get because they all say pregnant women can't take them."

The store worker smiled in understanding before nodding her head in another direction. "Follow me." She took the pitcher to another aisle, two aisles over before picking up a few products from the same brand.

"These should do the trick, my friend swears on them when she was pregnant." the worker smiled. 

Ashlyn picked up a few products and put them into her handheld cart. "Thank you very much, who would've thought that Heathly Mama made such great things. They even have Preggie Pops, how adorable is that?"

"I can ring you up if you want?"

"Yea sure." Ashlyn agreed before laying her items down the conveyor. She paid the allotted amount before grabbing her bags and saying goodnight to the store worker. 

Ashlyn was nearly out of the store when the woman called her back. "Hey, I hate to do this to you but is there any chance that I can get a picture with you. I know who you are and I tried to stay professional but it's not everyday you see a world-class pitcher on your shift."

Ashlyn's eyes went wide as the store worker's words seeped in. "That's fine just do me a favor and not spout to the world that my girlfriend and I ate pregnant. We'd like to keep that to ourselves and only ourselves right now."

"I won't tell a soul. I won't even post the picture, I'll just keep it to myself." the woman blurted out in hopes of convincing the athlete. 

Ashlyn jokingly rolled her eyes and waved her over before giving a smile for the camera and bidding her goodnight for real this time. She got back to the hotel in record time only to bump into Pinoe and Syd in the hallways.

"What're you still doing up?"Pinoe asked with raised eyebrows. 

Ashlyn raised of the grey convenience store bag. "Snacks. I got hungry and Ali was trying to feed me Kale chips." She ended with a shrug and turned into her room and shutting the door behind her. 

"Oh you're back." Ali said as she sat up on the bed. 

Ashlyn climbed up on the hotel bed and dumped all the contents of the bag onto the bed. "So someone helped me find this wonderful brand that's made specifically for pregnant women. They even have these cute Preggie pops for nausea and pretty much everything that would keep you and our little Boogie Bear healthy."

"Aren't you adorable." Ali stated honestly while opening one of the portable fruit juices that Ashlyn bought. She took a large sip and stayed silent for a little bit before grinning largely. "I don't feel the need to throw this up, and it's really good. You did really great baby." She leaned over and kissed her with love before drinking the rest of her Healthy Mama juice. 

"Only the best for my loves, Snoogy Woogy and Boogie Bear." Ashlyn said and pulled Ali into her side. 

"You're still our Green Giant." Ali yawned and got comfortable. 

Ashlyn laid her head on the brunette's and nodded softly. "Yes I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truth be told Preggie pops are real, saw them at the store a few days ago lol


	50. We're Having a.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow 50 chapters :D what great milestone, however, it also marks that we're near the end of this fic /.\

The Senators were absolutely livid as they sat on the plane back to DC for the last game of the World Series. They were leading the series against NYC 3-2,until yesterday where the Senators all but choked on the pitch in New York. It was a downright embarrassing game without a run scored for the Senators. Everything that could go wrong that night, went wrong ten times over. Andy had nearly lost his voice because of their performance. The only thing he had told them the night of the wipe out was to get their shit together before they flew out. 

The captain of the plane spoke to the players, informing them that they'd just landed at the DC airport. The players and staff grabbed their luggage and crossed the runway to enter their awaiting team bus. Usually they'd go home and rest up for evening practice, but with their performance the other night, Andy made sure they did recovery on the way to the airport and on the plane, so that he identify and iron out every mistake that was made in the last game. 

The team bus dropped them off at the stadium so they could go straight to practice, however, with Andy's permission, Ali was able to take a detour from going to get office.

"Are you excited?" Ashlyn asked with a light kiss to her neck. 

"Of course, we're finally gonna be able to find out the gender." Ali replied.

"Mmm I wish I could be there but with-"

Ali placed a finger on her lips to silence the pitcher before shaking get head. "Baby, I know. And I will let you know the results as soon as we get them. Then we can finally start telling people, and I know you've been dying to tell Gram."

"Darn right. Now go on, I don't want to make you late for your appointment." Ashlyn smiled before giving her lips a quick but deep kiss.

"I will, bye babe." Ali waved before getting into an awaiting taxi and driving off.

"You are so weird." Pinoe said as Ashlyn entered the locker room. 

Ashlyn immediately whipped her with a towel. "How so?"

"You're still so cutesy with Ali even though you two have been dating since November...technically." Pinoe replied. "Yall are giving me cavities."

"Aww Pinoe's, all alone so she hates on the adorable couples to make up for it." Syd said in a baby vice while moving her hands in a crying motion. "Wah wah Pinoe."

Pinoe whipped Syd's behind with a wet towel and narrowed her eyes, "Watch it girly, or you won't have anyone either."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Dr.Lancaster expertly placed a piece of gauze and medical tape around the area that she drew blood from from Ali's arm. A nurse came in and took the sample as Dr.Lancaster told her what to run it for. She patted the examination table for Ali to lay in, so that she could get new update pictures of her baby. 

"Hmm." Dr.Lancaster said to herself while moving the doppler over her womb.

Ali moved her head to look at the screen in confusion. "Is something wrong?" A hint of panic was laced in her tone because she followed everything she was supposed to. She took prenatals, kept her diet clean, got plenty of sleep and checked with store pregnancy tests, all of which confirmed she was still pregnant. 

"No, everything is okay. you baby just shifted a bit so it was harder to find. Once the blood test comes back, I'll let you know what you and Ashlyn are having." Dr.Lancaster informed as she stood up to deposit her gloves. "Oh and don't clean off the gel just yet, I want to confirm something."

Ali just nodded as the doctor left the room. She wasted time by surfing the Internet, checking social media and texting Kyle, who just happened to see something hilarious at the store and couldn't wait to tell her. It was quite a way to burn 30 minutes before Dr.Lancaster came back in holding Ali's file and a very large grin. 

"I'm going to get you another ultrasound picture right now. Also, tests confirm that you're having...."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn closed the oven while balancing the stuffed, baked salmon in her other hand. She had finished practice before Ali came back from her appointment, and although she was tired, she decided to make them dinner. Once she heard the front door open and Ali's voice call out for her, she moved over to the foyer gave the brunette kisses for a greeting before taking her purse. 

"Hmmm hey baby." Ali said with another peck. 

Ashlyn led them back to the kitchen where she started serving the food for the both of them. "So how'd it go? What's the gender of our little bun in your oven?" Her own excitement was barely being contained while she spoke.

"It went as great as we could've hoped, even better actually." Ali replied before taking a bite of the dinner. "This is really good Ash."

Ashlyn let out a sigh of relief. She knew in heart that everything would go well, but she couldn't help but have a little doubtful thoughts in her head. "That's amazing news. So what's the gender of our Boogie Bear? I don't want to keep calling our baby an 'it' you know."

"I know baby, but the thing is I want to tell you after the game tomorrow. This is the final game, and whoever wins it, wins the World Series and I've seen how hard you've worked for this. You'd lose your focus if I told you right now." Ali explained. 

"Yea but this is our baby, I care a hell of a lot more about our baby than another championship." Ashlyn rebuked. 

Ali reached over to take her hand. "I know that, I really do. But I want a special way to tell you, not over salmon, potatoes and green beans."

"These are some damn good salmon, potatoes and green beans. But okay, I'll wait til tomorrow." Ashlyn grinned while playfully rolling her eyes. 

"Thanks babe, you won't regret it. And all our friends on the team and our family will be there. Believe me, you'll love it."

"I'll hold you to that promise. Now hurry up and eat your food, woman. You're gonna need energy for tonight." Ashlyn said with a look. 

Ali raised both eyebrows in surprise. "But it's game day tomorrow. You have to be in bed earlier."

Ashlyn just took a sip from her gatorade. "Why do you think I made dinner early?"

Ali's lips spread into a big smile. "Okay Harris."

The couple finished their dinner rather quickly. Both working together to tidy up after themselves before starting each other into a hard kiss. Ashlyn's arms surrounded Ali's waist, while Ali leaned up on her toes to tangle her hands in blonde hair. They bumped into the fridge, Ali's back resting on the cool equipment before Ashlyn ran her hands over the backs of her thighs and picked her up. Ali giggled in their kiss as a bunch of refrigerator magnets hit the ground. 

"Fuck em." Ashlyn joked about the items while using one arm and the refrigerator to support Ali while her other hand found a way into the back of Ali's Nike tights. "Counter or here?"

"Definitely counter, the fridge is cold and there's magnets digging into my back right now." Ali explained as Ashlyn moved them over. She pulled at the hem of her pitcher's shirt before removing it from the blonde's well defined body. 

Ashlyn unbuttoned the Senators' polo and lifted Ali's arms up and the shirt off along with it. She quickly went to work on leaving nips, kisses and whatever marks she could on Ali's neck. Her hands glided up from her waist to the hooks of her bra. She licked from her neck to her collarbone before leaving open mouthed kisses on the swells of her breasts. 

"Oh baby," Ali said in a breathy tone while running her fingers through soft blonde hair. She leaned back onto the counter as Ashlyn pulled her bra away to suck on her nipples. Ashlyn's mouth was everywhere on her chest before beginning its descent to her more than wet core. The moment Ashlyn's mouth covered her folds in sync with her fingers pulling down her tights, Ali was pretty sure this feeling was heaven. 

Ashlyn went to work quickly, lips already encasing Ali's swollen clit in her mouth and sucking hard. Ali's back curled on the counter, along with her hips canting up, trying to get more from Ashlyn's greedy mouth. The pitcher's strong hands held her girlfriend's hips down as she ran her tounge through her folds, sucking on each one before pressing her tounge into Ali's wet and sweet core. 

The moan that rumbled from Ashlyn's throat, sent a delicious wave of pleasure through Ali's core. Her toes curled up while her calves went around Ashlyn's shoulders. 

"I need you right now Ash." Ali said as she grasped the strap of Ashlyn's sports bra which was quickly shed by the blonde. 

Ashlyn leaned over, trapping the brunette between her body and the counter before swooping down and joining their lips deeply, slipping her tounge into Ali's mouth allowing her to taste herself. 

"What you need baby, tell me." Ashlyn said into their kiss as both her hands palmedand massaged both breasts while her hips ground into Ali's soaking core. "Tell me what you want baby."

Ali moaned at her taste before taking one of Ashlyn's hands and rubbing her fingers between her folds. "I need you fuck me-" The tail end of her comment getting cut off from Ashlyn plunging two fingers in deep. "-hard. Fuck me hard." Ali begged on her lips. 

Ashlyn gave hard and deep thrusts as her hips helped the force and depth of her movement. Ali's breasts jumped with each pump and Ashlyn couldn't hold herself back from taking a pert pink nipple into her mouth, sucking hard. 

"Just like that baby." Ali moaned loudly while her arms wrapped around her pitcher's strong torso. 

Ashlyn gave a few hard and quick thrust before letting Ali's nipple fall from her lips with a pop. "Just like this?" She said with a smirk and repeated her actions, feeling Ali tighten on her fingers. She pushed a third one inside, causing Ali's back to arch into her. 

"God yes baby, just like that." Ali nodded before biting her bottom lip. 

Ashlyn curled her fingers to hit that spot that drove Ali wild. She pressed her hips down with more pressure to rub on Ali's swollen clitoris. Her actions unyielding even when she felt blunt nails digging into her back. She used her free hand to hold both of Ali's wrists before using her hips to slam into her core. 

"Aw fuck Ash. Baby I'm gonna...FUCK!" Ali screamed as Ashlyn's fingers pushed her over the edge and then some. She shuddered as Ashlyn continued to thrust inside her, slowly but deeply. A gasp left her lips when Ashlyn withdrew from her core and made a show off licking her fingers before diving back into her folds. Ali tried to moved the blonde away from her more than sensitive clit but Ashlyn wasn't swayed. The blonde's mouth putting a lot of suction and licking at her clit, putting her right in the middle of pleasure and pain, but it didn't last long before she was pushed into what was probably her fastest orgasm to date. 

Ashlyn kissed her way up from her core to Ali's full lips before kissing her deeply. "That's how you get ready for the World Series final." She ended with smirk. 

"Ooo someone's cocky tonight." Ali replied as she sat up on the counter, nudging Ashlyn back so she could slip off the granite covered surface. She joined their lips once again as her hands met the drawstrings of Ashlyn's Senators' training gear shorts. She pulled them free before easing both hands in the back, past her long compression pants to grab a handful of the pitcher's firm ass.

"Love it babe." Ashlyn breathed into her lips. 

"Good, now take these off." Ali ordered as she snapped the elastic band of her compression shorts.

Ashlyn grinned before reaching down to remove the bottom half of her clothing. "I love it when you get like that."

Ali smiled before lightly raking her nails from the underside of her breasts down to her hips. She moved her fingers to repeat the same motion on her back, ass, backs and front of her thighs. She wasn't digging her into her skin, but grazing each area teasingly with her nails. 

"Don't tease me Al." Ashlyn growled into her neck while laying kisses there in a lustrous haze. 

Ali laid a soft kiss to her before whispering into her ear. "Lean into me and put your hands on the counter for balance." Ashlyn did exactly as told and was quickly rewarded with nimble fingers sliding up and down through her soaked folds. Rubbing lightly but with firm pressure on her clit. 

"Kiss me." Ali said, looking up into hooded hazel ones before moaning softly as Ashlyn crushed their lips together. Ali sucked in a sharp breath as Ashlyn drug her teeth into her bottom lip as she slipped a finger into her wet heat. Ashlyn pressed even closer into her as her finger easily pumped into Ashlyn. She added another finger inside while her thumb rubbed tantalizing circles on Ashlyn's clit, causing the blonde lean all of her weight onto Ali, squeezing her between her body and the granite counter. 

"You're so good Al." Ashlyn moaned, gripping the counter so hard her knuckles were white. 

Ali used her free hand to pull Ashlyn's head down closer so she could suck on her pulse point. Her fingers curled whole she pushed into the blonde all the while rubbing harder into her clit. 

"Fucking hell babe." Ashlyn groaned as she came on Ali's fingers. Her forehead rested on Ali's shoulder as she came down. "Okay, now I'm ready to win that final tomorrow."

Ali chuckled and pecked her lips. "You are very very cocky. But you do have a championship to win so...I'll allow it."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

The Senators' locker room was oddly boisterous despite the weight of the game awaiting them once they stepped out of the doors leading to the dugout. There games, superstitions, chants and music being heard over the entire expanse of the locker room. Ali along with all the assistant PTs were trying to work on the players whole they went through their various pre-game rituals.

Andy came into the room and gave a quick bang on the lockers. 

"Alright listen up. Ladies this is last game of the post-season. Nothing else matters, I don't care what happened in NYC on the other game. Tonight matters, only tonight. Tonight we take that pitch and leave it all on the field and then some. Tonight we show that we're the better team and unit. Tonight we hoist the World Series trophy for the second time in our team's history. Tonight we come out as fucking champions! Now, Senators on three. One. Two. Three!"

"SENATORS!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gameplay in the next chapter


	51. The World Series

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world series and then some ;)

The Senators broke apart from their huddle before heading into the dugout. NYC were definitely going to give it their all tonight, no doubt about it. However, the Senators had home advantage, there was no way they were they going to lose tonight, no way in hell. 

Pinoe like always took the plate first. She knew how Chu (NYC pitcher) played. The Senators played them so many times that Pinoe liked to think she had her figured out. Pinoe wasn't even phased when the first and second pitches went right past her and were deemed two outs. She tightened her grip on bat before smashing the ball down the center of the outfield. She ear only able to get to first base since the Phantoms brought their A-game tonight. 

Crystal took the plate next. Andy was going for speed right off the bat, if there was any chance that his team could get quick runs early, then he was don'going to do it. Crystal was called for a first strike suafter swinging on a foul ball. She repositioned herself but in the end was struck out. Moe came up up next and successfully bunted the ball well near the left foul zone, which gave both her and Pinoe enough time to get to second and first base. 

Alex was the next one to step up, NYC's Chu tried to strike out Alex and was very close to doing so until Alex knocked a popper into the right side of the outfield, right out of the clutches of a sprinting NYC outfielder. With Alex's base hit, the Senators now had the bases loaded, an excellent way to start the final. 

Chu's eyes went wide as she saw Abby step onto the plate. She looked around at the bases and noticed the dilemma that was around her. The diamond loaded with fast base runners, and a batter who could sink home runs like they were nothing. She turned back to her catcher to nod at the next play that they were going to attempt, which was try and strike out Wambach. Chu's first pitch was called a ball, her next pitch was hit by Abby but straight into the foul zone. The next pitch was the one that Abby waiting for, a perfect fast ball straight down the center and Abby connected as well on it that any other slugger could. The ball flew well into the outfield but right into an outfielders' mitt. Once the ball was in the NYC out fielder's mitt, Pinoe, Moe and Alex all took off sprinting as the NYC players scrambled to get the ball back to the diamond to to get the third out. 

The Senators were able to score two runs by Pinoe and Moe before Alex was tagged out right before she could get to third base. The top of the first inning was over and it was a great start for the Senators being 2-0 at the moment. 

Ashlyn jogged out to the mound as her teammates took their places in both infield and outfield. The first NYC batter to take the pitch was odd, she wasn't that good of a hitter and most would assume that NYC would start out strong. It was no surprise when Ashlyn struck out the first batter. However, the next batter was Lindsey Maxwell, and she was never an easy player to strike out. And it showed once Maxwell hit a curve ball right into the outfield and past a diving Hope in the infield before rolling into the outfield. Maxwell was already sprinting towards 1st base. By the time Syd was able to grab the ball and get it back to the infield, Maxwell was already on 2nd base. 

Ashlyn adjusted her cap as the ball was passed back to her. From all the scouting the Senators did, they knew that the next batter was fast and a good hitter and with Maxwell already on 2nd, this batter would only make things worse. And the worst did happen with that batter knocking out far into the outfield, giving her and Maxwell a generous amount of time to steal bases. Maxwell passed home plate, but with the other batter's cockiness, they were able to tag her out before she reached this base. This put the score at 2-1 Senators. 

The next batter for Phantoms was a slugger, it didn't really make any sense since no one was on the bases. Nonetheless, Ashlyn threw a hard pitch right past the batter. The next ball was hit, but just barely, so with Abby on third base where the ball rolled to, she threw it right to Hope on fiesty base who tagged the Phantom player out for the third out, ending the bottom of the first. 

The next innings went by scoreless. However, it was nothing short of exciting. The amount of balls hit that nearly were home runs, the balls that were caught by some acrobatic outfielders and infielders were something to behold. Both pitchers were on the top of their games as well. Purely calculated pitches were the only things that left their fingertips, but when going against the best teams, it was the only thing they could pitch. 

By the top of the 9th inning everyone was covered in sweat, dirt and grass. The game had been a bit chippy but all in the good nature of a hard fought final. And with the score still 2-1 in last inning each team was ready to unload on each other in order to win. 

Chu jogged up to the mound with her mitt and a few balls tucked into her pockets. She threw the first pitch of the 9th inning right past Syd on home plate, getting the first strike. Chu sent a curve ball that Syd bunted perfectly to the left foul zone. The ball touched the grass right before the foul zone so it was fair game for her to steal a base, which she did. JJ was up next however, curve balls, fast balls and hangers were what struck her out in the end. Chu could place a ball, everyone knew it, but the Senators were ready for it. Next up was Hope, the first pitches Chu sent her way were foul balls, and the one Hope hit went straight into the foul zone, giving her two strikes. The final pitch from Chu, Hope hit, but it was caught in the air by an NYC infielder. Tobin tapped the plate next before getting into her stance to bat. She took one practice swing before teeing up for the pitch. The first was a clear strike, the second was a hard hit that flew through the air and down the field. NYC outfielders tried to track it down but ball went right over the boards and into the fans. 

"And who would've thought that Tobin Heath would score her first two woman homer in her history of playing? The Senators couldn't have asked for better present right now in the finals, putting them up 4-1 in the top of the ninth." The commentator spoke into the stadium microphone that tried to be heard over the roar of both the crowd and the Senators' dugout. 

Tobin and Syd rounded the diamond before receiving high fives from the entire dugout. Pinoe went up next but was tagged out after trying to make a run for first base. 

Ashlyn tightened her ponytail before getting on the mound. She threw a hats pitch, right into the bottom of the strike zone causing the NYC batter to completely swing and miss. Her next pitch was a ground hit which allowed the NYC batter to get into first base. The next thing Ashlyn knew the Phantoms had the bases loaded with two runs already scored, two outs, the score at 4-3 still in the Senators' favor, and Lindsey Maxwell staring her down from the plate. 

Ashlyn breathed slowly before throwing a curve ball, which Maxwell hit but it went straight into the foul zone, giving Lindsey a first strike. Her next pitch was too low and was deemed a ball, and so was the next. The pressure was beating down Ashlyn's shoulders as she threw the next pitch, her stomach lurching as Lindsey's bat made contact with it, but just like the first hit, it was a foul ball and her second strike. Ashlyn licked her fingers before squaring up for what she hoped would end the game. The bases were loaded for the Phantoms but they were on two outs and two strikes, all Ashlyn had to do was force that last strike and they were champions. Her arm was definitely sore but her mind was determined as ever to win this game for her team. They did their part by putting 4 runs on the board as opposed to NYC's 3. Now she just needed to win it for them. Ashlyn nodded to Whitney's choice of pitch before winding up throwing a fast dropping ball, her lip went immediately to her bottom lip as she saw the NYC batter swing for it and connect on it. The ball flew right up to the mound and with all the strength left in Ashlyn's body, she jumped and caught it bare handed before landing on the dirt mound in a heap. The umpire yelled the third out, signifying the end of the game. The Senators had just won the World Series. 

The entire Senators' dugout raced out of their dugout to dog pile the pitcher that just made the save that just won them the final. The infielders and outfielders all jumped on top as well, screaming, crying and saying so many incoherent things that it just added to the surreal moment that is currently happening to them. 

The NYC Phantoms were gutted, absolutely gutted. They thought they were going to win the moment they blew that Senators out in their home pitch just two days ago. But fate had its cruel way of rearing its ugly face, and it came in the form of this; the World Series slipping right from their fingers. The Phantoms went straight down to their dugouts so they could held down to the visitor's locker room and head home.

Hope and Abby dunked half a cooler of gatorade on Andy and the other assisting coaches before pouring a lot on Ashlyn, who was still at the bottom of a dog pile. 

"We're the champs baby!" Pinoe yelled as "We Are the Champions" came over the loud stadium speakers with the crowd singing along to it, and also with large red, white and blue fireworks in the sky. Ashlyn pushed a few people off of her as she looked for Ali, once she spotted her, she damn near team like an Olympic track star over to her girlfriend and spinned her around with a hard kiss. 

"We won!" Ashlyn yelled in pure euphoria and excitement. 

Ali had tears in her eyes. She was proud of her girlfriend, as well as the entire team. They'd worked hard for this moment, day in and day out. And to be an integral part of that success, brought her pride and respect for this team to another level. 

"I know baby I was here." She chuckled. She felt Ashlyn's hands move down to where it touched the fanny pack right above her butt. 

Ashlyn's eyebrows went up, "What is that? You what, hold that thought." She put Ali down as she started to unbutton her jersey.

Ali along with other players and fans were surprised by what the blonde was doing. "Ash, you guys may have just won but you can't just start undressing here. You can-" Her voice stopped right in her throat as she saw Ashlyn holding a simple chain necklace that held a ring on the bottom before she went down on one knee. 

"Ashlyn." Ali gasped. 

"Al, we've known each other for long enough for me to know that you're my end game. You're the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with and be the mother of our child. I couldn't imagine what kind of person I'd bet if I never met you, and I won't ever have to think about it, because I'm asking you if you'd give me the best gift on earth; the right to spend forever with you. The honor to love you and our baby. The honor to call you my love and build a life together with you and our baby. Alex, I'm asking you if you'll marry me." Ashlyn said with her own hazel eyes welling up with tears as she looked up at the love of her life. 

"SAY YES!" Pinoe yelled but was swiftly slapped across the head by Syd.

Ali nodded while her hands covered her mouth. "Yes, yes, of course I will I will marry you."

The entire field of Senators' players and staff cheered and clapped, along with the fans in the sold out stadium. Ashlyn grinned and unhooked the ring from the chain and slipped it on Ali's ring finger. She kissed her hard before pulling back, "You're stuck with my goofy ass forever."

"Our babies and I wouldn't have it any other way." Ali grinned back just as hard before digging into her fanny pack and pulling out two colored baseballs, one light pink and the other powder blue. 

"Babies?" Ashlyn asked in confusion before her mind finally started to piece together what Ali just said. "Babies." She repeated as she gingerly took the baseballs from her now fiancée's hands, looking over them for quite a while seeing the due date engraved on each ball before looking back up at Ali and grinning at her. 

"We're having twins, Ash. A little girl and boy, that's two Boogie Bears." Ali explained with tears already falling from her eyes. 

Ashlyn stuffed the balls deep into her pockets before wasting no time and throwing Ali up in her arms and kissing her deeply. More deeply than she ever had before in her life. "We're having twins?!" Ali nodded to her more than elated fiancée. Ashlyn turned to her team with a wide grin on her lips. "You guys are gonna be aunties!"

Pinoe's eyes went wide, almost to the point of comical. "No way! You two said you weren't pregnant. I got my ass chewed out for all the jokes I kept making and now you are having a baby. Well damn."

"Correction, we're having twin Boogie Bears! A little girl and boy." Ashlyn said with such pride before pecking her fiancée's lips multiple times. 

"Holy hell you two, Congratulations!" Andy beamed.

The rest of the staff and players gave them congratulations on both their engagement and twin babies before they had to get ready for the trophy presentation. The stadium released more fireworks and confetti throughout the stadium. Fans were chanting Senators songs as the WMLB commissioners came out with the large World Series trophy. The players and staff received their medals and trophy before Hope and Abby both put the their under the trophy and held it down before raising it up repeatedly, moving to the "ooos" and the "ahhs" of the crowd. 

After that they did a very long victory lap around the field, signing autographs, taking selfies and giving away some gear to the fans they were able to reach. By the time they finished up with fans and taking pictures in their championship shirts and caps, the team was back in the locker room spraying each other with beer and bottles of champagne. 

"We're fucking champions baby!" Pinoe and Syd yelled in synch as the doused everyone in more champagne. Most players were almost out of their gear, mainly because they gave their jerseys away to fans, and also they were soaked top the core right now. 

"I mean was there ever really any doubt that we'd win?" Ashlyn laughed. 

Whitney snorted at her bestfriend. "Oh please you nearly shit yourself on that last play. But you just had to be so dramatic."

"What can I say, my fiancée's diva nature is rubbing off on me." Ashlyn said sweetly to her fiancée. 

Ali gave her chest a playful slap. "I am not a diva. I just want things done my way or we'll have problems."

"You married a diva alright. Sarah is just like that. I can't tell you the amount of times I've been in the doghouse for not listening." Abby chuckled as she thought back. "But enough about me, you two just casually dropped two huge bombshells tonight." 

"Three bombshells Abbs." Moe corrected. "Engagement and twins, that makes three bombshells."

"Ah Yea, that's right." Abby nodded. 

"Well, I was banking on the fact that we'd win the game today so I could propose to this pretty lady. I was wearing that ring all night." Ashlyn explained. "I had no idea that Ali was going to tell me about our babies today and like that."

"Maybe if you didn't have to make such grand gestures with a marriage proposal-"

"Hey, now, you did show the world that we we're having twin babies. So don't talk about grand gestures Snoogy Woogy." Ashlyn pointed out. 

"Snoogy Woogy?" Hope asked with raised eyebrows. 

"Yup, that's my baby mama." Ashlyn said with her tounge out while avoiding another hit from Ali. 

"Well that name is hideous. Ali I hope you're naming yall kids." Pinoe joked. 

Ali nodded. "You damn right I am."

"But they're our Boogie Bears, admit it, that's a cute nickname." Ashlyn smiled. 

Ali playfully rolled her eyes but smiled anyways. "It is pretty cute. Our cute little Boogie Bears."

Pinoe stuck a finger in her mouth with a fake gag. "You two are disgustingly cute and married-like already."

"Stay jealous." Ashlyn said while undressing. 

"You two should do a baby shower!" Crystal said excitedly. 

Ashlyn wrapped a towel around her form. "Shouldn't we wait until she starts showing more?"

"True but the fact that Ali's having twins she'll be getting pretty big quickly. So sooner than later, I would sa- OW!" Crystal yelped as a wet towel snapped her back.

"Rephrase your sentence woman. My baby mama will be glowing as she shows more." Ashlyn corrected. 

Crystal rubbed her back while muttering. "Okay geez. We should have a baby shower when she starts glowing a lot with her pregnancy."

"There you go, and yes, we'll let you know when we get there." Ashlyn laughed before going into the shower.

"We damn well better be invited to it all, birthing included!" Pinoe yelled while undressed.

Whit gave her an odd look before shaking her head. "You're just weird Pinoe."

Pinoe waved her off before yanking the shower curtain own. "You heard me right Harris?"

"Dammit Pinoe! Can't I answer this later, when hmm I don't know, I'm not buck naked?" Ashlyn yelled while trying to wash the shampoo out of her eyes and hair. 

"No!" Pinoe pouted. 

"Okay fine, fine. But you'll have to ask Ali as well." Ashlyn conceded

Pinoe leaned in and patted her wet shoulder before leaving. "You're the best Ash!"

"You know Ali is going to say hell no to seeing loud mouth Pinoe in her birthing room a few months from now." Whit informed from the outside of the shower. 

Ashlyn groaned as she thought about it. "I know."

"Well it's your ass on the line, especially whenever she gets hormonal." 

Ashlyn groaned even louder, "I know."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn and Ali all but collapsed on the hotel bed, completely and utterly exhausted. They had finished all the celebratory parties with fans and family, interviews and photos for being the new 2016 WMLB champions. 

"You know Pinoe wants to see you give birth right? I might've kind of promised her-"

"You better take it back Ash. Pinoe is not seeing my hoohah while I push out two big babies from said hoohah." Ali stated tiredly. "Take it back, or the only hoohah you'll be seeing and touching will be your own."

"I hear you loud and clear baby." Ashlyn said before she leaned over to kiss her fiancée gently before moving between her thighs. Ali smiled softly, she loved making love to Ashlyn but right now she was beyond exhausted. 

"Babe, I'd love to but I'm-"

Ashlyn shook her head and kiss her exposed stomach. "I'm not trying to do that." She replied as her hands pushed up the black blouse that Ali wore for the championship after party. She leaned back some and removed her own shirt before laying her head on Ali's stomach with a kiss.

"I just want this moment. This moment between you, me and our babies. This is our family time." Ashlyn whispered softly as if she were trying not to wake newborns. 

Ali's fingers threaded through her hair and held there softly but firmly. "Okay." She said back just as softly.

"So Boogie Bears, I'm gonna have to apologize for not realizing there were two of you in mommy's belly." Her fingers glided slowly over Ali's smooth stomach. "I can't wait til you both get bigger and bigger and then we finally get to meet you two. But until then, be good for mommy. No kicking or fussing around, you'll have enough time to pick on each other once you two are out here. Then once you are out, we get to meet you both and you two will get to match the voices to the faces."

Ali continued to stroke her fiancée's hair. "I can't wait for them to meet us. I can't wait for us to meet them."

"We're going to be amazing parents. And our two Boogie Bears are going to be surrounded by love, I mean did you see how happy the team was when we told them?" Ashlyn exclaimed. 

"Of course I saw." Ali assured. "Now, did you like my surprise? I knew you were probably thinking that I'd go over the top or something, but I thought it was super cute."

Ashlyn crawled up her body and gave her a deep kiss. "I loved it. It was super cute and I have to give mad props for getting it done on such short notice. You even got their due dates engraved in there. Those are definitely going up on the fireplace mantle."

"That and the photos we took right after your championship win." Ali added before both of their phones began to vibrate incessantly. Her fingers skimmed over the phone and saw the mammy phone calls and messages from family and friends. "They want to know more about our babies."

Ashlyn groaned and reached over for her phone before tossing it back. "I tell them more on the morning, we'll have breakfast with our families and let them know."

Other than yelling their teammates that little snippet of them being pregnant with twins, the couple hadn't delved into it, nor had they told their families. Their families had been at the game and saw the entire proposal and colored baseballs, but Ashlyn and Ali had yet to really fill them in. Especially with all the chaos that ensued after the game, all the while trying to control their drunk teammates. 

"I know Gram is gonna be happy tomorrow morning when she hears the double news." 

Ashlyn nodded in agreement before laying her head back down on her stomach. "That's true, but I l want to enjoy this moment of just us."

"Our family."

Ashlyn kissed her stomach as she repeated Ali's words, "Our family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was well worth the wait eh ;)


	52. Telling the Fam-Bam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back ;) so much rain in Houston, so I haven't been having class, which gives me time to write :D
> 
> After this chapter, time jumps will be occurring to capture Ali's pregnancy in a few chapters.

Ali moaned into her fiancée's mouth as the blonde's fingers plunged into her core. Her legs wrapped around and pressing into her lower back, urging her to go deeper and harder. A task that Ashlyn completed with ease. 

"Oh god Ash, I'm close. So fucking close." Ali mumbled breathlessly but with a twinge of a higher pitch to her tone. 

Ashlyn snapped her hips harder as she left open kisses down her neck. She nibbled on some skin before soothing it with her lips. She licked up to her earlobe before taking it between her lips to stick gently on before letting it go. "Cum on my fingers baby." She panted into get ear as she made a show of snapping her hips to hit deeply. 

Ali dug her nails into her pitcher's strong biceps before taking her bottom lip into her mouth and biting down experimentally, not too hard, but enough to get some arousal from it. "Ashlyn, I'm-"

There was banging on the door that would frighten almost anyone. It caused Ashlyn to jerk get hips, and somehow hit Ali's g-spot, making Ali gasp and moan very loudly. 

"Uhh who is it?" Ashlyn asked loudly to hopefully drown out Ali's voice. She couldn't lie, there was something inherently sexy about almost getting caught bringing your soon-to-wife to an orgasm after your championship match. 

"It's us Ash-" Chris started but his grandmother stopped him.

"Ashlyn Michelle Harris and Alexandra Blaire Krieger, you two better open this door and explain why I just heard from one of your teammates that you're pregnant?! And with twins! Not to mention, we just saw you propose right at the end of the game! And you didn't tell us?!" Grandma Harris chastised greatly. "And you said we were going to meet for breakfast, but apparently you forgot when breakfast is. You better wake up Ali too, she has some questions to answer."

"She's coming Gram, just give us a sec." Ashlyn chuckled slightly at the double entendre she let slip out. She covered Ali's lips with her own, kissing her deeply and pushing her tounge inside. 

Ali's hips continued to rock against her onslaught of delicious thrusts before she felt Ashlyn's fingers curl and move, hitting her g-spot even better than before. Her orgasm came in seconds, washing over her with a loud moan into Ashlyn's mouth and her walls tightening around the three fingers buried into her. She groaned softly as Ashlyn's thrusts slowed down before the blonde slipped her fingers out and sucked them clean. 

Ashlyn ducked under the sheets and lapped up all the juices from Ali's core, moaning into her clit as she sucked gently on it. Ali's hips slowly canted into her mouth before she felt fingers in her hair give her a slight tug, before she came back up and kissed her fiancée deeply, allowing them both to taste Ali's release. 

"Ashlyn Michelle, don't you make me wait!" Grandma Harris pointed out from the other side of the door. 

"How about we calm down Gram." Tammye whispered to her husband, who nodded in agreement. 

"Mom let's wait for them in the lobby." Mike suggested which Grandma Harris surprisingly agreed to. She turned to the elevators with Mike and Tammye right behind her. 

"We'll wait for you guys in the lobby." Chris said loudly so they could hear him before going into a more hushed tone. "And you two are freaky."

Both Ashlyn and Ali chuckled at Chris's words before deciding to finally get up. They showered together, forgoing the obvious shower sex that both were thinking of. Clothing was quickly put on and the couple left the room to head to the lobby. 

"So who do you think told Gram?" Ashlyn pondered aloud as they stepped into the elevator. 

"Well our family were in the presidential suites during the final game, so they definitely saw you propose, but about us being pregnant. That was definitely our team's resident big mouth, Pinoe." Ali replied. She quickly put on a smile as the elevator doors opened and both their families waited in the lobby looking in their direction. Ali leaned up near Ashlyn's ear and whispered. "Time to get interrogated by the fam-bam."

Ashlyn held in a laugh and went to hug both of their families. "I know you all have questions but how about we head over to eat and talk there?" She suggested. 

"Well you're paying, since you and my sis wanted to keep us waiting for so long." Kyle said with much drama in his voice. 

"Sure thing princess." Ashlyn joked before swinging an arm around his shoulders and leading them out to an awaiting van for them. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

They arrived in the restaurant and it wasn't long before Ashlyn was accosted by fans of all ages, wanting pictures, autographs and anything else they could get. I wasn't until Grandma Harris chased them away with her bag and an angry face. That garnered quite a bit of chuckles from the family before they ordered their late breakfast. 

"So Ash, when did knock up my sister?" Kyle said, breaking through the silence while shoving eggs and bacon into his mouth. 

Deb quickly swatted the back of his head, "But Sweetheart, he's right. Why didn't you tell us about being pregnant?"

"And with twins for that matter."Grandma Harris added. 

Ash gave Ali a bit of a nudge while stirring her coffee. Ali rolled her eyes but relented anyways. 

"We just kind of had a talk about it after Gram laid it on thick and we got a huge amount of teasing from our teammates. We both want children, and we both like our jobs, so we jumped the gun to be honest." Ali said honestly. "We honestly could've waited a few years but I don't know, we both wanted this so we got pregnant."

"And the twins part?" Mike inquired. 

Ashlyn held up her hands in innocence, "Hey, I just found out yesterday after we won."

"Surprise pregnancy eh?" Kyle joked. 

"Shut it Ky." Ali flicked a piece of her hash browns at him. "I found out the day before the final, so I wanted to surprise her, hence the two different colored baseballs. We're having a little girl and boy."

Tammye and Deb both let out a high pitched squeal.

"Oh my goodness! Two grand babies!" Tammye shrieked with tears already in her eyes as she held onto both Ali's and her daughter's hand.

"Well when are you due? I need to mark it in my calendar, that and other appointments. Maybe I can take you to some of Ashlyn can't." Deb stated and brought out her phone to access the calendar function. 

"Calm down mom. I'm not technically due until November, however, since we're having twins, it's possible I could have them in October as well." Ali explained while pouring syrup and ketchup over her bacon and avocados.

"Okay that's nasty." Chris shuddered as her watched his soon to be sister-in-law eat whatever her pregnancy craved. "But am I the only one that remembers Ashlyn proposing smack dab in the middle of the pitch?"

"No my son, you aren't. I would've thought you'd give us a heads up on that." Mike said while looking at his daughter. 

"Yea, you never told me when told me when you bought a ring." Ali added around a full mouth of food. 

Ashlyn shrugged while she sipped her coffee. "When Gram tried to guilt trip us into giving her great-grandchildren.."

"Now let's make this clear, I did not try and guilt trip. I merely planted the beautiful seed in both of your minds-" Grandma Harris stated before her grandson stopped her. 

"You guilt tripped them Gram." Chris chortled. "But on the bright side, it worked."

"Anyways, I talked to a jeweller after Gram guilt tripped us, then I solidified my order once I made you take 16 pregnancy tests." Ashlyn cheesed before pecking her fiancée's lips. 

"Aww that's sweet baby." Ali grinned before going back to her breakfast. 

"I'm a sweet woman."

Chris snorted. "So how big head your head gotten now that you've won the World Series twice? I mean, I'm drowning in your shadow over here."

"Learn how to swim Bubba, because I can't help you. You're gonna have to keep waiting for me to fuck up in order to get out of this shadow." Ashlyn teased back while avoiding her mother's hand to the back of her head. 

"You little shit. Wait until you're a washed-up athlete." Chris teased even more.

Ashlyn grinned with a raised eyebrow. "You'll let me know everything there is to it, right?"

"Fuck off." He chuckled before shoveling pancakes in his mouth. 

"Well now that you two buffoons are done. Baby girl congratulations on your win, I know it's not on par with your marriage proposal or finding out that you're having twins, but Ashlyn we're so proud of you." Tammye said before kissing her cheek. 

"Thank you mama." Ashlyn smiled appreciatively. 

"Oh and Ali don't think I forgot about you. That is some job you have, taking care of all those players, that just has to be some form of hell-"

"I bet Ash is so high maintenance, isn't she? Wrap it this way, no this way, no it's not tight enough." Kyle joked, earning a high five from Chris but a glare from the pitcher. 

"Oh god lord, you three are so childish. Ali I hope yall children don't come out like these fools." Tammye said with exasperation. "Anyways Ali, you must've been a god send to that team because they didn't even look tired after that final."

"Oh yea, they're a handful alright. I just wonder how they'll fare once I'm on maternity leave, it'll coincide with the start of their season, so Ash, I might have to give Gustavo a ring." Ali ended with a look of seriousness as she nonchalantly are more of her avocado and bacon.

Pancakes slipped from Ashlyn's mouth as she gave Ali a look. Her eyes narrowed and she cleaned up the mess she made. "Babe you can't do that. No one liked him, those gnarled hands man." She shuddered thinking back to Gustavo's time with the Senators. 

"We'll see."

The family continued to bide their time with teasing each other and catching up on things missed. It wasn't long before all their food was finished and they were saying their goodbyes. 

"Don't forget to come down to Florida during the off-season Ashlyn." Mike explained to his daughter after pulling away from their parting embrace. 

"I won't, you guys take care." Ashlyn responded before taking Ali's hand after she finished all of her goodbyes.

They took a taxi back to the hotel and avoided the fans that camped out waiting for them. 

"Pinoe! You're just the person I was looking for." Ali called out as the blonde tried to enter the elevator but stopped. 

"Oh really? Why?" Pinoe chuckled nervously. 

"Two things, because you can't keep your mouth shut, but to honest we all still love you for it." Ali stated. 

"So you're not mad that I accidentally slipped the twins stuff to yall families?"

"No way, it was fine. However, the second thing is, there is no way in hell I'm letting you watch my hoohah push out two babies. No way. So I don't know what Ashlyn told you, but I get 4 votes in this matter, mine, the babies and the special vagina vote, since I'll be pushing them out. And it says no to you watching me give birth." Ali pointed out which had the two blondes snickering. 

"So is that a firm no, or..."

"Firm no, Pinoe."

"We'll revisit this sometime later." Pinoe smiled before getting into the elevator. 

Ali looked at Ashlyn, who was still giggling in the back. "What is going on with you?"

"Special vagina vote? Babe, really?" Ashlyn asked through laughter. 

Ali playfully rolled her eyes before heading to the elevators. "You better take that special vagina vote seriously, before you end up like Pinoe."

Ashlyn made the motion to zip her mouth shut, but a laugh still slipped through. Ali slapped her bicep which prompted Ashlyn to squeeze her in tight hug. 

"Don't worry babe, I take your vagina vote very seriously."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know it's all mushy gushy, but that's what happens when we're near of end of the fic ;)


	53. Embarrassing Tenderness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :) There's a time jump here, Ali is at 4 months.

"Ash." Ali said plainly. She received no answer as her fiancée continued to sing along with a Taylor Swift song. she scoffed and slapped her bicep, "Ashlyn!"

"Yea baby?" Ashlyn finally answered with her eyes still on the road. 

"You've had that stupidly large smile on your face since this morning and you've been giddy like a school child on their first day of school since we woke up. What is going on with you?" Ali inquired with some exasperation in her voice.

"Well today we're going in for our 4 month check up for our little Boogie Bears. We get new ultrasounds pictures to place on the refrigerator. And Abby's throwing a little get together, well not so little, but a fun get together nonetheless. So yup, I'm super excited today." Ashlyn rushed out, her grin, if possible, got bigger than it was before. 

Ali reached over and took her unoccupied hand and placed it in her lap. "You're such a lovable goof." She ended with a kiss to their intertwined hands. 

"The lovable goof you said yes to, my beautiful Snoogy Woogy." Ashlyn grinned.

"And I don't regret it, Green Giant. However, we need to stop by the Indian place again, the babies have been craving some curry and a mango lassi since I woke up." Ali stated as she used Ashlyn's hand to lightly rub her already showing belly. Since she was carrying twins, things happened at a much more accelerated rate. Ali was just glad that all the post-season celebrations were over and she wouldn't be traveling around and making appearances so much now. Now she could just rest in the off-season, with her fiancée and soon to be born children.

"Will do baby, but it's gonna have to be after our appointment. Remember Dr.Lancaster said you couldn't eat right before the ultrasounds." Ashlyn reasoned as she parked her Jeep before gong over to Ali's side to open her door. 

"Always so chivalrous." Ali smiled before pecking her lips. 

They entered the medical building before Ashlyn grabbed the necessary forms and sat next to her fiancée. She'd been so attentive during all of their visits, that she practically knew how to fill out every blank on the appointment form for Ali. She promptly turned in the filled forms and waited for their names to be called. Once they were, they followed an elderly nurse to their awaiting room. 

"Dr.Lancaster will be with you two shortly." the nurse informed before closing the door behind her as she exited. 

Ali began stripping off her very loose Senators' hoodie and yoga tank top before donning the patient gown over her bra clad chest. Just as she was about to lay down, her phone started vibrating and Dr.Lancaster entered the room with a knock. 

"Babe, could you get that?" Ali asked. 

Ashlyn nodded and began the search for Ali's phone in her rather cluttered purse. "Hey Deb, what's going on?"

"I was just calling to see how you two are doing. Ali told me a few days ago that she was going to have another appointment, so I thought I'd listen in, if that's okay." Deb informed. 

"Of course it's fine, Dr.Lancaster just came in, so I'll put it on facetime so you can see everything." Ashlyn compromised before launching the facetime application and holding the phone up next to Ali. "Your mom wants to be a part of your appointment babe."

Ali and Dr.Lancaster gave the woman a smile and a wave before moving to the task at hand. 

"Act like I'm not even here." Deb chuckled. 

"Are you gonna see the babies?!" A loud voice sounded from the background which could only belong to Kyle. "Scooch on over mommy, I wanna see them too. Hey sissy, hey world champ."

"Well let's get started," Dr.Lancaster said as she slipped on some gloves and got the ultrasound gel. "So how have you been feeling throughout your pregnancy so far?"

Ali let out a small shiver as the gel was distributed all over her belly. She was quickly soothed by the pitcher's warm hands rubbing up and down the arm closest to her. 

"It's been great actually. The morning sickness is done and gone with by some simple remedies, but the cravings are pretty bad. I almost feel bad kicking Ash out of bed at night or early in the morning to get me something." She chuckled lightly and squeezed the blonde's hand. Ashlyn leaned over to kiss her forehead before sitting back down. 

"Oh and the gas, sweetheart, tell her about the gas." Ashlyn teased which made Kyle guffaw in the background. 

Dr.Lancaster nodded with a smile while moving the doppler around. "Yea, pregnant women tend to be gassy, not to mention the fact that Ali's carrying twins. Twice the gas, but that's all healthy."

"Hear that Ash, I'm allowed to be gassy. There are two babies in here."

Ashlyn shrugged, "I mean they're cute sounding, like a little toy car horn. But when you eat avocado pieces in your cereal, I would think you had all that gas coming."

"Eww Alex, really?" Deb commented, she knew how bad cravings could get but she was blessed with the fact that her own were pretty mundane throughout her two pregnancies. 

"Oh and her breasts are very tender. She's been wearing a maternity bra and all that jazz but whenever we're...you know um intimate, she doesn't want me touching them." Ashlyn said bashfully.

Ali's face erupted in red just as Dr.Lancaster spoke. "That's also a common side effect of pregnancy. Milk production is the main cause of that. But Ali is it just tenderness? No lumps or pain?"

"It's just tenderness." Ali said quietly. 

"Okay, that's fine. I would encourage buying a milk pumper or there's something else if you two are open to the idea. Ashlyn could try sucking on your breasts to relieve the tenderness, that way, she's emptying your breasts which are probably full of milk right now, and that would ease the tender feeling you're having in them. Most coupes I've seen said they love the activity so...just food for thought." Dr.Lancaster offered. 

Ashlyn turned to Ali with raised eyebrows, Ali just nodded with beet red cheeks.

"Wow, I just heard a lot of things that I so did NOT want to hear about my sister's sex life." Kyle shuddered and moved out of the camera shot. 

Deb pinched his arm as he moved away. "Hush Kyle, this is the beauty of making children. 

Dr.Lancaster just chuckled before pointing to the screen. "And here are your babies. This is your little boy, he's moving around quite a bit. And there's your little girl, she seems to be peacefully sleeping there, but not for long if he keeps moving around in there." Dr.Lancaster informed with a smile. She used a cloth to wipe away the excess gel before patting Ali's side. "I should go print these out for you two, or should I make extras?"

"You should definitely make extras." Ali replied as she put back on her clothes. 

"Be back in a second." Dr.Lancaster said before slipping out of the room. 

Ali placed the patient gown in the trash before shaking her head. "That was so embarrassing."

"But it wasn't to embarrass you. You didn't want me touching your breasts whenever we were doing the sideways tango, so I-"

Ali hushed her fiancée with a kiss and a chuckle. "I know baby, it was more so embarrassing because my family kind of heard the entire thing."

"Well unless you have ear bleach, then stop-" Kyle started but was quickly cut off by his sister. 

"We'll call you two later, bye mom, bye Kyle." Ali said, reaching over to end the facetime call. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Hey you two, I thought yall wouldn't make it." Abby said loudly over the music being played as she approached the couple and pulled the couple into a tight hug. 

"Why because I'm big as a whale?" Ali joked. 

Abby nearly spit out her beer. "No way, just that it was getting late and I hadn't't seen you two yet."

"Yea well apparently our little Boogie Bears wanted some Indian food, so we stopped by." Ashlyn explained as they walked into the Wambach residence.

Syd shrieked as she ran over and nearly knocked Ali over if not for both Ashlyn and Abby catching the excited woman. 

"Let me see my niece and nephew dang it." Syd grunted out while wiggling around in their arms. 

"Are you going to calm down and not tackle my pregnant fiancée?" Ashlyn asked like a teacher warning a child. 

Syd nodded and was finally released by her teammates. She slowly gave Ali a kiss on her cheek before squatting down to her growing pregnant belly. "Hi Boogie Bears, it's auntie Syd, you know, yall favorite auntie of all time. I just wanted to make sure you two didn't forget me, because once you're born, I'm gonna spoil the both of you rotten." Syd gave Ali's belly a comforting rub before erupting in a huge smile. "Oh my god, they kicked! They kicked my hand, oh they love me already." She said, clapping her hands giddily. 

Ali patted Syd's back with a small giggle before going to say hello to the rest of their team. Everyone was there, including the staff and Andy and his wife. Everyone took their rounds of visiting the twin Boogie Bears and catching up since the season ended. Food wasn't a problem, and sooner rather than later, Ali had Ashlyn running back and forth from the tables to get her whatever she wanted. Once Ali was finally satisfied with what Ashlyn could give her, Ashlyn made her way out back to where Whit, Abby, Hope and Andy were drinking beer. 

"Ah here's the other half of the golden couple. How've you been?" Andy asked as Ashlyn took a bottle of beer from the cooler. 

Ashlyn cracked open the bottle, taking a long swig of the beer before answering. "I can honestly say I'm loving every single thing about Ali being pregnant. I know it seems crazy to like the fact that she has me running all over the place, whether it is for food, waking up in the middle of the night or whatever it may be. I freaking love it."

"Ooo, we have a super eager momma to be, here." Whit smiled, she was downright happy for and proud of her friend. Motherhood seemed to fit the pitcher better than anyone could've thought. 

"Darn right. Only six more months to go until Ali and I see our little Boogie Bears and I'm estatic." Ashlyn replied while looking through the outside deck's clear doors to her wife who was conversing with their other teammates. 

"You better call us when those two come out Harris, or else." Hope joked with narrowed eyes and pointed fingers. 

Ashlyn took another swig as she shrugged. "That's up to my baby-mama. She already gave Pinoe the third degree about being in there while she's giving birth, so I-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, I'm not looking to see Ali push babies. I'll wait patiently in the waiting room until this nuggets and clean and fed before I make my way in there." Hope corrected firmly which had the group laughing for a little while. 

"I take it the rest of you feel the same way?" Ashlyn asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Oh most definitely." Abby shuddered, thinking about the image of childbirth. 

"Well okay then, I can most definitely get Ali to agree with tha-'

Pinoe interrupted them by bursting through the deck doors. "Hey Ash, Ali's crying in the bathroom and none of us can tell what's wrong. She won't let us in, I thought the next logical thing would be to get you."

Ashlyn nearly dropped her beer bottle, if not for Whit's quick hands, while she rushed back into the house. "Which bathroom?"

"That one over there." Pinoe pointed out. Syd was by the door trying to coax Ali into telling her what was wrong but the brunette didn't budge. Even with the loud music coming from the speakers, Ashlyn could still hear Ali's cries through it. 

Ashlyn immediately went to door and tried the knob, it was open but Ali's voice stopped her. 

"No Syd, I told you to get Ashlyn!" Ali called out from behind the door.

Ashlyn laid her ear to the door before speaking. "Baby it is me, can I come inside?"

"Okay."

Ashlyn nodded and mouthed 'thank you' to her friends before going inside the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. She took in the sight of her fiancée, who was sitting on the bathtub ledge, wiping tears and snot from her face. Ashlyn was quick to be by her side to provide any type of comfort she could. 

"Baby, what's wrong?" Ashlyn asked while rubbing her hands over Ali's knees. 

Ali sniffled before looking down at her pitcher. "You're gonna think I'm stupid."

"Not a chance."

"My breasts hurt, I've tried adjusting the bra, putting something warm or cold on them but nothing is working. And then I thought back to what Dr.Lancaster said and I can't stop thinking about it. Then I started crying because I couldn't bring myself to just ask you to do what was suggested because we're in Abby's home. And now I'm a complete mess with very tender breasts." Ali choked out. 

"Do you want me to help you?" Ashlyn said softly. 

Ali nodded like a school child. Ashlyn chuckled before slipping her hands under Ali's loose blouse and lifting it over the brunette's head. "Are the baby hormones hitting you hard right now?" Ali nodded once more as Ashlyn lifted her up to sit on the bathroom counter. Ashlyn kissed her gently but deeply, her thumbs ghosted over the fabric layer of the maternity bra before gently removing it from her fiancée's chest. 

Ali let out a small satisfied sigh once the material was off her chest. She shuddered a bit when warm hands lightly palmed her breasts and kisses were line from her lips to her neck and collarbone. 

"You ready?" Ashlyn asked while laying loving kisses on her collarbone. 

Ali nodded silently while her eyes followed Ashlyn's movements like a hawk. Ashlyn's eyes met Ali's briefly before she leaned back up to capture her lips in a deep kiss. 

"It's nothing different like what we always do when we make love. I want to help relieve some of the hurt you're feeling, but not if you're uncomfortable." Ashlyn explained. 

Ali shook her head, "No it's okay. You're right." She rubbed the tops of her pitcher's shoulders. "Keep going."

Ashlyn kissed the space in between her breasts before dipping her head down to take a nipple in mouth. The first movement of her lips already drew out a slight moan from the brunette and pretty soon Ali was complete putty in her arms. Ashlyn finished with the first breast before moving to the next.

"You okay baby?" Ashlyn asked, looking up into hodded amber eyes. 

"More than. Keep, please." Ali reassured with a face full of pleasure. 

Ashlyn nodded before continuing her ministrations until Ali gave her shoulders a squeeze signaling to stop. Ashlyn pulled away gently before giving the brunette a loving peck. 

"I feel so much better now." Ali said honestly, "I guess I shouldn't be so shy about it anymore, huh?"

"Definitely not. I love you and you shouldn't feel embarrassed about asking me to do this for you." Ashlyn grinned. "Besides, at least now we don't have to stop by and get dinner for two since I already ate."

Ali slapped the pitcher's bicep and gawked at her while moving to put her maternity bra back on. "Your humor is something else."

Ashlyn stepped behind her to provide assistance before giving her her blouse. "If you can have special vagina votes, then I want to make breast milk comments. Besides, you know you love me doing it for you."

Ali just playfully rolled her eyes before nodding. "Fine. But we're never telling Abby or Sarah about this...ever."

"Believe me, what just happened here will never grace ears." Ashlyn promised. She wrapped an arm around her fiancée's shoulders and kissed the side of her head before leaning into her ear. "We should definitely do this again, though."

Ali's face turned red as they made their way back to the living room where all their friends were. 

"Is she okay?" Pinoe asked. 

Ashlyn grinned as she watched Ali get a bottle of water. "Oh definitely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh the tender breasts


	54. Baby Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ali is at 6 months and some weeks now.
> 
> Oh yea, there's some smut :p

"You like that baby?" Ashlyn breathed into her fiancée's ear as her hips slowly pushed the strap-on, which was guided through Ali's more than soaked folds and into her core with the help of her hand. Ali was on her side with Ashlyn practically molded into her back. The Ali's leg was pulled up in front her chest body comfortably with Ashlyn holding it in place.

Ali shifted around a little bit to to get the most of Ashlyn's thrusts. "Not too deep, Ash." She said as Ashlyn adjusted her thrusts accordingly. 

"I know." Ashlyn kissed her shoulder, giving it a light bite before soothing it with her tounge. 

They fell into a slow and shallow rhythm, with Ali pushing her hips back to meet Ashlyn's thrusts. Ali's hand reached back and grabbed a handful of Ashlyn's ass, urging her closer. Each time Ali's ass met Ashlyn's pelvis, the strap-on pressed deliciously into Ashlyn's clitoris, fueling her own desires fully. 

"Fucking hell Al, keep moving like that." Ashlyn rasped. She moved one of her arms under Ali's torso and palmed a breast while her other arm went around Ali's leg to rub at her clit. Ashlyn continued kissing her shoulder before latching onto her neck to suck on pulse spot. She continued sucking until she saw a mark appear. Her tounge soothed the spot while her hips continued to move, never faulting.

Ali's back arched into the pitcher's front. "More, more. I need you deeper Ash, just a bit." She emphasized her want by pushing backwards onto the fake appendage. 

Ashlyn growled in reply pulling out from Ali's core causing her to gasp. She kept Ali on her side but kneeled over one of her thighs as she held the other in the crook of her elbow as she leaned over Ali. Their lips met deeply and hands running along each other's body. 

"I love you so much." Ashlyn breathed into their kiss before slipping her head down to kiss her way down Ali's chest. Her hands lightly caressed Ali's swollen breasts as her lips covered one of her pert and pink nipples. Coaxing long and breathy moans from the woman under her, hands slipped into her hair and gripped as she continued sucking on Ali's breasts. She moved to next, letting out a lengthy moan as liquid hit her tounge. She rocked her hips slowly, allowing the appendage to slowly and teasingly rub onto Ali's clit and folds. Her lips went back up to Ali's full ones and kissed her deeply once again, pushing her tounge into her her fiancée's mouth. 

"I need you inside me again." Ali begged into their kiss, digging her fingers into Ashlyn's ass and pulling her closer. 

Ashlyn guided the strap-on slowly into Ali, she stopped before she bottomed out in her fiancée. They both moaned out their pleasure as they were joined and Ashlyn started moving again. Ashlyn quickly covered Ali's clit with her thumb, rubbing circles into it as her thrusts sped up to match the loud moans coming from her love beneath her. They continued moving together, words and sounds of pleasure were heard throughout the bedroom before each reached the peaks of their pleasure. Ashlyn hovered over her fiancée, held up by her forearms as she pulled out gently and kissed Ali deeply. 

"We should do this more often." Ali said completely breathless.

"Oh yea, I second that."Ashlyn nodded with shit-eating grin. She leaned over and lightly kissed her fiancée. "You know something?"

Ali turned more to fully face the blonde. "Nope, lay it on me."

'We never really talked about when we're going to get married. We just sorta both have rings." Ashlyn voiced. 

"Well we didn't think it out, because there's no way I'm gonna get married looking as huge as I am right now. Our Boogie Bears need to be out in the world before I become a Krieger-Harris. After these two are born, then we can talk about it. Or you can run some ideas by me, and we can agree on what we like." Ali said while running her fingers across Ashlyn's tattooed side. 

"Inside or outside wedding?" Ashlyn asked as she leaned over to grab her phone. 

"Hmm outside." Ali replied, watching as Ashlyn nodded in agreement and typed it into her phone. 

"DC or Florida?"

"I want to say Florida since we're here in DC for nearly 8 months of the year. But baby, this is your wedding too. I want your opinion." Ali stated. 

"I really want to do it in Florida." Ashlyn admitted.

Ali kissed her cheek before laying back down. "Then Florida it is." 

"A lot of people or just the ones we actually know?" 

"People we know. I'll feel odd getting married in front of random people among the ones we do know." 

"Okay. The rest of the stuff like flowers, food, linens on so on, we can get our family to take care of." Ashlyn said with a grin as she raised up the blankets. "You know what _I_ can take care of?"

"Mmm I might, but I'm pretty sure you'll have to show me-" Ali said softly as Ashlyn's lips met her folds. She ran her fingers through the blonde hair and guided her to where she wanted her.

The doorbell rang and a few impatient knocks.

Ashlyn pulled the blankets off of her head and gave Ali a very confused look. "Who the hell is that?"

"Oh I...I forgot that Syd had planned a baby shower since I'm 6 months going on 7. And then you guys will have pre-season coming up really soon and the team wanted to be a part of this." Ali explained. 

Ashlyn groaned as she laid her head on Ali's thigh. "So that means sexy time is over?"

"Mmm, I don't care, they can wait." Ali rasped and pulled Ashlyn up to kiss her. 

Ashlyn grinned into her lips and took over their kiss, pushing her tounge inside as she grinded against her core. Ali's hips were already canting up to meet the head of the strap-on. "I'm gonna fuck you so good baby." Ashlyn said into her ear and was one push away from sinking into her fiancée's core until banging sounded from the side of their bedroom's back door to the deck. 

"Are you kidding me?!" Ashlyn screeched as she raised her head up and her entire face paled when she saw who was right outside their bedroom sliding door that led to the backyard deck. "Pinoe! You guys get the hell out of here! Go to the front door!"

"Oh my god." Ali whined and groaned as she saw Pinoe wave. "They won't let me have sex. I really wanted this, that little bleached troll."

Ashlyn giggled and nodded. Their friends weren't going anywhere until they were let in their home. "Hmm don't sweat it, I'll give you what you want once they're gone. Go take a shower and I'll let them in." Ashlyn kissed her before pulling on clothes and going to the door. She pulled it open, ready to give her friends a well deserved talking to but Ashlyn couldn't help but chuckle at the giddy looks on her friends faces, whose arms were full of balloons, decorations, food and games. "Get in here you weirdos. I should kick you ass Pinoe."

"Yea yea yea. Anyways, this baby shower is gonna be hella good." Pinoe grinned as she put down two 6 packs on the now decorated table. 

"Pinoe what the hell? It's a baby shower for goodness sakes and you brought alcohol!" Abby chastised with a swat to her head. 

"Damn it Abbs, it's alcohol free." Pinoe rebuked. "If you guys can bring diapers, toys and whatever. Then I can bring alcohol free beer."

"Yea but the all that beer is gonna give you a beer gut by the time the season starts up again." Ashlyn chipped in while taping balloons to the room. 

Pinoe rolled her eyes and sat on the couch. "Maybe by then, Ali and I will be sporting the same bod. I could see clearly that you have no problems with it."

Ali waddled into the living room and Pinoe a sound slap across the head. "Pinoe you need some manners and boundaries."

"You never had a chance at those once you joined this team. We're like the family you always wanted and then can't get rid of." 

The players nodded in agreement before forcing Ali to sit so they could get her some food to eat and a chance to open up presents. Ali set the overloaded plate of food down on her large baby swell and clapped her hands.

"Okay I'm ready for presents!" Ali grinned with one of the largest smiles anyone had ever seen on her. 

"Alright hold your horses woman." Abby said as she and Hope dragged a large box in front of the giddy brunette. Ashlyn had to lean over in order to open it for her fiancée.

"Hurry babe, I want to see what it is." Ali said. 

Ashlyn finished ripping off the wrapping paper and pulled out the large box which contained a double seat. "Aww thanks you two. This is definitely going to help."

Ali gave both Hope's and Abby's hand a squeeze with a well appreciated smile. "We love it, you two."

Syd pushed the box out of the way and placed a gift bag in Ali's lap. "Yea well, this will be better."

Ali removed the gift paper and squealed at the cute baby onesies, baby beanies, booties, little scarves and other clothing that made Ali nearly cry from the complete cuteness. Ashlyn reached over to hug her fiancée but Syd slapped her hands away and promptly gave Ali a tight hug and kiss to the temple. 

"This girl, man." Ashlyn chuckled. "This diva won't even let me hug my fiancée."

"You two did plenty of _hugging_ not even an hour ago, so let me get my hugs in, you greedy pitcher." Syd chastised. 

Pinoe took the bag from Ali's hands and shushed her when she complained. She placed another gift bag in her lap and patted her thigh. "Go on, prepared to be amazed."

Ashlyn snorted and watched as Ali pulled out more baby clothing. A pair of baseball themed onesies had "Two Player Homer"across the middle, another pair of onesies had "Milk Drunk" in staggered placement. And at the bottom of the bag were two plush teddy bears completely decked out in baseball apparel. 

"Aww thank you Pinoe. Although, you're still a creep for standing by our bedroom back door." Ali said and folded the clothing, putting it back inside. "Babe can you get me some more food?"

"Will do." Ashlyn answered. Giving her fiancée a kiss before going to fill up her plate again. 

The house full of women continued having fun until the late evening. They said their goodbyes after helping the couple clean up. Their living room was completely filled with all kinds of baby accessories, toys, appliances, and clothing strewn everywhere. Ali and Ashlyn thought about sorting it but thought otherwise once they saw the time. Instead they showered and got ready for bed. 

Ali slipped her panties and long oversized t-shirt on her body before laying on her side of the bed and stroking Ashlyn's arm as the pitcher scrolled through her emails. Ashlyn continued to read her emails until she heard a few sighs from her fiancée. She placed her phone on the nightstand and turned around to face her. 

"What's going baby?" Ashlyn asked as she stroked soft brown hair. 

"There's only few days before you start pre-season and then the start of the regular season." Ali explained before laying her head on the pitcher's strong torso and wrapping her arm around it. 

"I know Al." Ashlyn replied, continuing to let her fingers thread through soft brown hair. 

"Yea, but I'm gonna miss you. I can't travel with the team because I'm on maternity leave and you guys will be jumping from state to state all pre-season and once the regular season starts. What if you're in some other state and my water breaks and our Boogie Bears want to co-"

Ashlyn silenced the brunette with two fingers to her lips. "I know it sucks, Al. Really, I know. But if anything arises, and I do mean anything, no matter how small you think it is, call me and I'll be on the first plane back here."

"But what if-"

"No buts, baby. I will be there, distance will never be an issue." Ashlyn comforted as she pulled her fiancée into her body, making her as comfortable as possible and held her tightly. "Sleep tight Al, I'll be here in the morning."

"Okay. I love you Ash." Ali whispered into her neck. 

Ashlyn kissed the crown of her head. "I love you even more, Snoogy Woogy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We may or may not see babies in the next chapter ;)


	55. Welcome to the World, Boogie Bears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the Boogie Bears are here! :D

"Alex, Sweetheart, this is a very very bad idea." Deb grimaced with each step her heavily pregnant daughter took. 

Kyle nodded in agreement, tightening his hold on Luna's leash so she didn't walk too fast. "Babes you look like you're going to break your water like this."

Ali rolled her eyes and continued to slowly waddle with a hand braced on her lower back for stability. "I'm fine-"

"No, you're supposed to be on bed rest until they're ready to come out." Kyle corrected. 

"Honey, he's right." Deb pointed out. "You know Ashlyn wouldn't like this either."

"Yea well Ash isn't the one who laid in bed home bound for an entire month and then some. This is just a one time thing because I'm getting cooped up in that dang house." Ali explained and raised a hand when her mother tried to speak. "Yes mom, I know you tried to make bed rest fun for me but I just want to have a short walk with you two and Luna in the dog park. Is that too much to ask for?"

The mother and son exchanged looks that said they knew Ali was going to go through with this walk whether they liked it or not. "Okay." The both resigned. 

Ali grinned and kissed their cheeks. "Thank you! Now let's walk."

They walked around for 15 minutes before turning around to head back to the car. Even though they agreed to let Ali walk around, Deb still made sure that her daughter drank enough fluids and ate enough to sustain both her and the twins. They were on their way back to the car when a large Doberman nearly bumped into Ali as it flew across trying to catch a flying Frisbee, causing Ali to jump in both surprise and fright. An apologetic man came running after his dog.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. My dog gets super hyper when we come to the dog park." the man apologized. 

"You damn well should be sorry! You don't think your dog could've hurt my sister?! She's pregnant for fucks sakes! I outta-" Kyle was one yell away from blowing a gasket when his mom stopped him.

Deb tried to reel her protective son in. "Honey, I think the man gets it. It wasn't on purpose-"

"No, this guy has cheese for brains! What kind of idiot lets-"

"KYLE!" Ali screeched, drawing all three of their attention. "My water just broke." Ali whimpered as she watched the clear fluid slide down her legs and seep into her shoes.

Kyle's jaw was on the ground as he watched the scene in front of him. It was only until Deb regained her bearings and closed his mouth and put an arm around her now hyperventilating daughter. 

"You're okay baby, just breathe in and out. In and out. Just like that." Deb encouraged. "Kyle help me get her to the car." She said loudly as a quick contraction hit her daughter. 

Kyle was quick to get on the other side of his sister and help her walk. The man stopped them and pointed to his park vehicle. 

"I'm an off-duty park ranger. We could use my car to get to yours faster." He offered. He felt bad enough that his dog is what likely caused the woman to go in labor, the least he could do was help.

Deb nodded, "Thank you."

They all got loaded up into the truck and Kyle was about to tell the man not to run over any bumps, but the park ranger seemed one step ahead of him. He parked the vehicle next to theirs before helping them to place Ali inside. 

"I'm very sorry and I wish you all the best." the park ranger apologized again. 

"It was an accident, and you've done more than enough to help us, so thank you." Deb smiled before buckling her daughter's seat belt as they both sat in the backseat. 

"Mom it hurts so bad." Ali groaned in complete pain as she gripped the older woman's hand. 

"I know baby but we're gonna be at the hospital very soon." Deb comforted. 

"Where's Ash?" Ali whimpered so quietly, Deb almost didn't hear her. 

"She's coming baby, don't worry." Deb said, watching as her daughter closed her eyes with a feeble nod. Deb turned to Kyle and mouthed 'Get Ashlyn now'.

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Tell me why the WMLB committee decided to give the world champs a 10 game away series?" Pinoe grumbled as they finished shaking hands with the Trojans, whom they just beat. 

"They made an obvious NYC fan and asshole make our schedule." Abby chuckled and grabbed her bat. They were walking around signing autographs when the assistant PT came sprinting onto the field in pursuit of a certain player while having a death grip on someone's phone. 

"Ashlyn! Where's Ashlyn?!" the young PT trainer called out. 

"He probably just fucked something up." Hope chuckled while nudging the pitcher of interest. 

Ashlyn shrugged with a grin and walked over to the frantic PT. "Okay Douglas, what'd you mess up now?" The assistant PT was good, but he was a bit of a klutz when it came to certain things, Ashlyn couldn't help but think this was another one. 

Douglas leaned over on his knees with Ashlyn's phone in his hand. "It's Ali. Kyle just called and said her water broke and they're en route to the hospital right now." He wheezed.

Ashlyn's eyes went wide as she took the phone from the frazzled assistant. "Kyle!? Are you there?" She said loudly both with panic and to be heard over the bustle in the background. 

"Yea, we just got her checked in and everything." Kyle said to her before, much to Ashlyn's dismay, talking to Deb for a little bit before returning to Ashlyn. "Can you believe some jackass left his hyperactive dog run rampart and it literally scared Ali so bad her water broke."

"Wait, I thought Ali was on bed rest?" Ashlyn said as she started joggibg towards the dugout. 

"She was but she was getting cooped up and wanted to take a walk. Me and mom said hell no, but you know no one can change Ali's mind." Kyle said before he spoke to someone in the background once again, then all Ashlyn could hear was shuffle.

"Ash?" Ali's pain stricken voice called out.

"Yea baby it's me. I'm on my way right now. Don't you worry a single bit." Ashlyn said before using her teeth to rip off her catching mit. She didn't notice but the entire team and staff were following her into the locker room.

"The doctor said I'm having rapid labor. Our Boogie Bears apparently want to come out very fast." Ali tried to joke before groaning loudly in pain.

"Baby just wait okay. You're doing great and I'm gonna see you very soon, okay." Ashlyn spoke. Her teammates were already packing everything up and loading up the team bus.

"Okay. I love you Ash."

"I love you too Al." Ashlyn said back before hanging up. She was surprised when she saw the bare locker room and most of her teammates not there.

Pinoe rolled her eyes and grabbed her by the wrist. "C'mon dummy. The bus is loaded and we're ready to go. We're gonna get there in time, don't worry."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn barreled through the front doors of the hospital like a mad woman. She gripped the front desk so she didn't slip on the laminate floors since she was still in her cleats. "I'm looking for my fiancée, Ali Krieger."

The nurse was taken aback but nonetheless she typed into the computer. "The doctor is with her right now, but she's in the Labor and Delivery wing, room 440A. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor, follow the left hallway all the way to the end and it'll be on your right." She craned her neck over to the dirt covered baseball players behind Ashlyn. "You all can follow her up there but you all will have to stay in the waiting room."

The group nodded before they crammed themselves into two elevators and ran down to the appropriate places. The team went to the waiting room while Ashlyn went to Ali's room where Kyle looked pale in the face. 

"Oh thank god. Come hold you're fiancée's hand because she's crushing mine." Kyle gasped and moved over, letting Ashlyn take his place. 

Ashlyn leaned down and kissed Ali's sweaty forehead while brushing her wet hair away. "I'm here baby, I'm here."

Ali's body relaxed at the sound of Ashlyn's voice while she pushed through a contraction. Lucky for the both of them, they could hear the doctor speaking to the nurses to get the towels, scissors and measuring tape ready. 

"Alright Ali and Ashlyn here's your baby girl. Ashlyn come over and cut the cord." the doctor said. 

Ashlyn quickly came over and cut in the right spot. She looked at the absolutely adorable crying baby. "She's beautiful Al, and she has a full head of hair, look at that."

It didn't take long before their son was born. Both babies were cleaned up, fed and having bare skin contact with both parents. Ali with their little boy and Ashlyn with their little girl. 

"They're so beautiful and perfect." Ali whispered tiredly while running the side of her finger over their baby boy's cheek.

"They really are. And they're so small." Ashlyn added. Their daughter had a strong grip on the dinner that she placed in her palm while she slept. 

"You know we're never gonna have alone time anytime anymore." Ali teased. 

Ashlyn let out a quiet snort. "Not true."

"How so? We have newborn twins, we'll barely have time to think."

"Well you clearly forgot how many aunties our little Boogie Bears have, because there's a waiting room full of them." Ashlyn corrected. "Besides hot stuff, we'll always make time for our alone times." She finished with a waggle of her eyebrows. 

Ali nodded with a grin. "I sense a lot of auntie duty in the future."

"Al in good fun." Ashlyn said before holding their baby girl securely to her chest and crossing the room to give Ali a deep kiss. "I love you so much, you know that right?"

Ali laid a hand to her cheek and nodded. "Of course I do. You know that I love you just as much. I love that I get, no, that we get to be a family with our babies. I couldn't ask for a better person to be with to experience this."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Ashlyn grinned before joining their lips once again. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

The nurse walked into the waiting room. "Family of Alexandra Krieger?"

Kyle and Deb stood up only to be followed by the entire Senators team which definitely took the nurse by surprise. "Okay, follow me." She led them to the room before leaving to give them privacy with the new family.

Syd whispered a squeal while wiggling her fingers towards Ashlyn to hold the sleeping baby girl. Ashlyn handed their daughter over to the estatic woman. Syd ran her fingers gently over the soft very plentiful and very dirty blonde hair. "What's her name?"

"I wanted Alexandria but Ali gave me the look of death, so we decided on Anna, our sweet little Anna." Ashlyn said as she looked at her daughter lovingly. 

Syd cooed as Anna let out a little yawn as she squirmed a bit in Syd's arms before falling back asleep. Syd ran her finger across her onesie covered belly. "She's freaking precious."

"Where's our sexy mama." Pinoe grinned as she gave Ali a kiss on the forehead. "And who's the little tyke?"

"This cutie pie is Andrew. Yes we're the A-Clan." Ali chuckled.

"He's a cutie pie alright, but he's pretty bald." Pinoe lovingly teased gently moving a finger on his lightly dusted hair covered head. 

"He's my precious bald baby, he'll grow some more." Ali teased back and kissed his head. "I'm just so happy that our Boogie Bears are finally here. No more babies for a little while though."

"Two's enough right now." Ashlyn agreed. 

"So when do you two take these suckers home?" Abby asked while playing with Anna now that she woke up. 

"They said by tomorrow if they pass all their tests. They were a week and a few days early but the nurses said they're both perfectly healthy." Ali answered as she moved Andrew to breast as he woke up already putting his fist in his mouth. 

"He's a fast learner." Crystal spoke up as she watched the baby boy latch on perfectly. 

"He got that from me." Ashlyn said with a smug but goofy look and a wink casted in Ali's direction. 

Ali's face turned red as she heard her fiancée's words. "Hush up Ash."

"I'm just saying." Ashlyn said as she scooted onto the hospital bed to stroke their son's hair. 

"You two are nasty. Sexy stuff in private, but nasty in public." Pinoe pointed out. "But did anyone else see that nurses face as we all stood up. That woman must've had some crazy thoughts going through her head."

"I don't even want to know." Deb commented by her daughter's side. "So Sweetheart, how do you feel right now?"

"I'm happy, more content than I ever thought I'd be." Ali sighed tiredly. "I'm ready to be married now."

"She's ready to be a Harris, who wouldn't be though?" Ashlyn butted in with a grin. 

Ali released a yawn, "Sure babe, keep telling yourself that."

"Well I think we all loved our time with the newly born Boogie Bears but I think it's time to let the woman of the day get some rest. Since she was an absolute star today." Kyle suggested as he saw his sister slowly start to nod off. 

The entire group agreed, and said their goodbyes but said they'd be back tomorrow and the day after that and after that. 

Ashlyn gently picked up their newborns and placed them in the bassinet before swaddling them in blankets. She climbed into the hospital bed beside her fiancée and gently put an arm around her. 

"I'm so proud of you baby, you make my athlete achievements look like shit." Ashlyn chuckled softly. "I can't believe that you're the mother of our children and I can't wait to marry you. You and our children are my life. It doesn't get any better than that." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Ali's hair before falling asleep with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not be able to post again or write until next week thursday, the dreadful finals are here /.\


	56. Venues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back you guys! Thank you for all the good luck and positive vibes for my finals, I'm sure I aced them ;)
> 
> And now another chapter!

"Say hi babies. Say hi to momma." Ali cooed to their daughter and son as she held her phone in front of them which displayed Ashlyn on it. 

"Hey Boogie Bears, you two had fun with mommy?" Ashlyn said into the screen, watching as their children squirmed around in the bed next to Ali. It was a sight that Ashlyn never got tired of seeing no matter how many times Ali sent her videos and pictures while she was on the road. With the twins at 3 months, Ashlyn never wanted to miss a single thing. 

"We're they good for you, babe?" Ashlyn asked. 

"They were a handful no doubt, my mom came over to help out which I'm forever grateful for. Our Boogie Bears loved the attention but-" Ali turned to lightly tickle the twin's bellies which garnered rich baby laughter from their lips. "You two were being little brats today weren't yall?" She said before kissing their cheeks, making even more laughter erupt. 

"Oh were they? You two promised me yall would be good for mommy." Ashlyn teased.

"Yes they were, however, they were so cute when they saw you on tv. They were being so fussy but once I turned on your away game, they recognized you and completely calmed down. I of course, like the dutiful mother I am, took plenty of videos and pictures." Ali explained as she surrounded both Anna and Andrew's body with pillows before leaving the room to quickly warm up two bottles. 

"I can't wait to see those videos and pictures." Ashlyn grinned. She watched through the phone as Ali balanced two bottles in her hands before plopping down next to the twins, getting them situated with the feeding pillows and popped the bottles into hungry mouths. 

"So what time is your plane landing?" Ali asked while rubbing Andrew's stomach as he was quickly draining his bottle. 

"We land at 3am. I'll just slip in while you three are sleeping."

"Are those my favorite Boogie Bears?!" Pinoe said obnoxiously loud as she walked her way through the plane aisle. Ashlyn playfully rolled her eyes as Pinoe snatched the phone from her hands. "Hey Boogies, it's auntie Pinoe, you know, the best one."

"No way Pinoe, you mean the drunk one." Syd teased while tipping her hand back in a drinking motion. 

"You're lucky there are children here or else I'd have some very choice words for you."

Ashlyn took her phone from Pinoe and slid into the restroom so no one would bother her. She loved how much love her teammates loved her children but sometimes Ashlyn just wanted time with her wife-to-be and their children. 

"Sounds like fun over there." Ali teased softly now that the twins were asleep. 

Ashlyn chuckled and shook her head. "I love them but wow are they a handful. But they're just excited so I'll cut them some slack. But get some sleep babe, I know you're tired, I'll be there when you wake up."

"Mmkay. Are we still on for Florida?" Ali asked while putting toothpaste on her toothbrush. 

"Heck yea." Ashlyn smiled. "Goodnight, I love you and kiss our Boogie Bears goodnight for me."

"I love you too and I definitely will. Goodnight." Ali said before ending the facetime call. 

Ashlyn pocketed her phone right before hearing banging on the lavatory door. She groaned and slid it open only to be faced with an angry looking Pinoe. 

"Don't you ever take my Boogie Bears away from their favorite auntie. Ever." Pinoe warned, although it looked as if she was ready to burst out in laughter. 

"Pinoe what on earth are you even talking about? It's their bedtime anyways." Ashlyn chuckled while trying to step past the blonde. 

Pinoe burst out with laughter and shook her head. "Girl, I don't even know. Now move, all those fish tacos I ate are causing a storm in my belly."

"You nasty little shit." Ashlyn laughed and stepped aside for the blonde to enter. 

"I'm trying to shit!" Pinoe yelled and closed the door. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"You guys ready to see Nana and Papa?" Ashlyn gushed as she took Anna out of her car seat. She leaned in to kiss her cheek before scrunching up her nose at the all too familiar smell of baby poop. "Oh we got a stinker."

Ali giggled while coming over to her fiancée's side with Andrew on her arm. "I'll change her so you can bring in our bags. Ask Chris for help, I don't want you hurting yourself." She slung the baby bag over her shoulder before carrying Anna in her other arm and giving her a smooch. 

"Yes Snoogy Woogy. Hey Chris, I can see your big head through the blinds so come help me get this stuff!" Ashlyn yelled before popping the trunk. 

The front door opened and out came the entire Harris clan. Grandma gave her grandson a little shove and a scolding as well when he took too long to help his sister. Grandma Harris quickly swiped Andrew from Ali's arms before the brunette could oppose and led her inside the home. 

"I'm getting there Gram, geez." Chris grumbled and took the double stroller from his sister's hands. "Thanks for putting mom, dad and grandma on my ass Ash. Always gotta be the star don't ya."

Ashlyn snorted and rolled her eyes. "Get kids then." Chris made a face of displeasure before grabbing the twins rather large sized luggage. "That's what I thought, until then, you're my butt monkey." She ended with a pat on his back. 

The family got situated in Ashlyn's and Ali's home in Florida. They wanted a place that'd be close to Ashlyn's home since they already had one in DC. Which led to them buying a 5 bedroom home in the nicer parts of Florida. Ashlyn's family were staying in the newly bought home so they could actually make it feel like home before Ashlyn, Ali and the twins came down to Florida. Although the pave head quite an amount of boxes and various unfinished projects, the Harris family somehow managed to make it feel like home. 

"So have you two planned out how tomorrow's going to go?" Tammye asked while filling up both her daughter's and Ali's plate with good ol' Southern cooking. 

"Definitely, Ali all but quadruple checked it before we left DC. And 50 more times on the plane and then 20 more times on the way here." Ashlyn joked and took the plate her mom offered. 

"Keep joking around Harris and you'll have no supporters at your home games." Ali shot back. "Besides, with the twins around, I can never remember the things I have and haven't done. Green Giant over there gets to fly all over the country and get ready for facetime with the twins. Whereas I have to remember a million different things times two because we have twins. So excuse me for checking things 'one hundred' times."

"Oh you know this bone head. Her mouth never stops running." Chris laughed around a mouth of food which earned him a slap on the back from Grandma Harris. "I'm just saying, Ali's busy wrestling the children at home while Ash gets to play ball in different states. It's no surprise that she bound to forget things."

"Oh hush Christopher, until you show me some great-grandchildren, nothing is coming out of that mouth of yours." She said pointedly before turning to the couple. "Now we're leaving the venue up to you two as long as you do two things. Leave the twins at home so they can hang out with me, and the other thing is that you two pick a venue that means something to you. Don't pick a place just because it looks pretty."

"Leave the Boogie Bears at home and don't be superficial when picking wedding venues. Got it Gram." Ashlyn stated. 

"Good." Grandma Harris nodded and grabbed a platter of red velvet cake. "Now who wants dessert."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ali slid under the sheets next to Ashlyn after they both put the twins to bed. She made sure both the baby monitor and baby camera were on before curling into her pitcher's torso. 

"You know it's not easy for me, right." Ashlyn said through the darkness of the room. 

Ali shifted a bit to face her, even though she really couldn't see her. "What?"

"It's not easy for me to be away from you and our Boogie Bears. I miss you guys so much and it literally pains me to go to away games and only be able to communicate through texts, videos and facetime. I wish I could be at home right there with you all and experience all the new things our babies are learning. Whether that's learning how to crawl, babble anything at this point, and heck even poop their diaper so bad it runs down their onesie." Ashlyn explained. She rested her hand in Ali's lower back, drawing any figures she could think of into the soft skin. "I just wish I could be there with yall."

"I know. I didn't mean to act like everything was super easy for you. One of us has to do the really hard part to support us financially." Ali mumbled in reply. 

"I really don't have to. Us players have no cap on our paychecks, so couple that with all the sponsors I have and the total equals to none of us ever having to work."

"I know-"

"Okay, know it all." Ashlyn teased which earned her a light pinch to her side. 

"I know that. I just wouldn't want to take you away from the sport you love."

Ashlyn intertwined their fingers before laying it to rest on her stomach. "But I love you and our babies even more."

"Anyone with eyes and ears know that, babe. But just think about our kids growing up and wearing Harris baseball jerseys sitting in the stands cheering you on to another world series championship. Or when they're in school and it's show and tell, and they bring you because they're so proud of you. We're your cheer squad forever, babe."

"What if they grow up and they hate me because I'm never there? I'm always gonna be traveling or training. If it weren't for the fact that you were our PT, I don't think we would've had time to really be together, you know." Ashlyn sighed. 

"Pssh, once our babies get one look at your goofy face in that jersey, they'll always love you. Besides, you go out of your way for the people you love, I've seen it firsthand myself." Ali reassured with a solid kiss to her lips. "Things may not be favorable right now but it's going to get better. But until then we're gonna blow up each other's phones with cute pictures and texts of love and other naughty things if you need a pick me up. And we'll facetime any time you do and don't need it, because you'll always need it. And you and I are gonna be bombass parents."

"I like the sound of that." Ashlyn said without hiding the smile on her face. 

"I'm glad you do."

"And I love you, so so much Alex."

"I know because you never fail to let me know and that's a quality I will always love about you. I love you more than words can express. Our history together practically shows that nothing break us or our family." Ali kissed her once again before snuggling into the crook of her neck. "Now go to sleep, we have venues to finalize."

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Both Ashlyn and Ali signed off on the final place they visited. The moment they toured the area they'd instantly fell in love with it. It was spring in Florida whereas DC would still be receiving fresh blankets of snow since winter wanted to stay over. The venue couldn't get any better in Ashlyn's and Ali's eyes, the ceremony would take place on a large expanse of flat green grass that overlooked the ocean. Ashlyn and Ali would then go down to the ocean to walk through the almost white sand and crystal blue water for their wedding photos. Then the reception would be held in a rather large gazebo which was decked out to serve a party. 

With the last things finalized with their wedding, the two women were beyond giddy as they walked along the ocean. 

"We're getting married in less than two months." Ali stated while swinging their intertwined hands up and down between them. "I'll have to start wearing 'Harris' on the back of my PT polo."

"It almost doesn't seem real. It seems just like yesterday I was pulling for you to be on my paintball team." Ashlyn chuckled before slipping her hands out of Ali's and wrapping it around her shoulder to pull her into an abrupt tight hug. Ali was surprised at the sudden change in her fiancée's behavior but wrapped her arms around the blonde just as tightly. 

Ali could feel Ashlyn's body shake besides her own. She rubbed her hands up and down the expanse of the pitcher's back soothingly. "Baby what's wrong? What's making you cry?"

Ashlyn just pressed kisses to the crown of her head before swallowing back a quiet sob. "I'm gonna treat you right, you know. Both you and our babies. I know your first marriage was far from happiness and healthy. But I'm vowing to you right now-" Ashlyn pulled back and held Ali's cheeks in her palms while looking into her eyes. "I will always be there for you and the twins, no matter what. I will never hurt either of you, except the twins when they get old enough to date, I'm gonna hurt them by default because they're not dating until they're 40. But I will do whatever is humanly possible and more to make sure you and our children always feel safe, loved and taken care of. I will always be here for yall."

Ali nodded with tears brimming in her eyes. Ashlyn thumbs already gently swiped across to wipe them free but more fell. Ali wanted to speak but her words got choked up with each breath, so instead she stood up on her toes, wrapped her arms around Ashlyn's neck and kissed her both passionately and deeply to convey her feelings.

"You are the beautiful person inside that I've ever met. You changed my life all for the good and I'm going to be right by your side with our babies." Ali said before kissing her deeply once again. "I love you Ashlyn Michelle Harris and I can't wait to marry you."

"Neither can I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* There's only one left after this /.\


	57. The Reason Why

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wedding is here

Ashlyn blew out a deep breath as she straightened the suspenders on her shoulder. She and Ali had decided that they wanted a more beach styled wedding. It wouldn't be strictly a suit and dress event. Ashlyn donned a tan pair of tailored slacks, light brown dress shoes, a powder blue dress shirt, white suspenders and a white tie. Her hair was pulled in a tight bit loose bun and her makeup was light. She fixed the watch over her wrist and snorted when Pinoe stared at her. 

"What's up Pinoe." Ashlyn said, hoping that the bleached blonde couldn't hear the overexcited tone of her voice. 

"Oh nothing, I just expected you to be more...I don't know, nervous." Pinoe said as she tucked in her dress shirt. Contrary to popular belief, Pinoe was actually her best man rather than her brother Chris. She loved her brother but Pinoe was her partner in crime with so many things.

"I'm nervous but not because I'm gonna marry Ali, but at the fact that I might end up tounging my wife-to-be in front of all of you."

"Oh puhlease, you two might make baby number 3 out there if no one stops yall." Pinoe said with a waggle of her eyebrows. 

Ashlyn swatted at the woman, "You're disgusting Pinoe."

"And you love me that way. Now do you have anything for me to give to ya sexy baby mama?" 

"First of all, Ali will murder you if she hears you call her baby mama. Secondly, yes I do." Ashlyn warned and pulled out a small white box. "I think she'll like it."

"Will do Cap." Pinoe took the box and proceeded to leave before stopping in the doorway. "I can't call her baby mama bit you can call her Snoogy Woogy? Well that's not only not fair but it's tasteless."

"Just give her the present Pinoe. Jeez"

▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Oh Sweetheart, you look beautiful." Deb gushed as Kyle finished up Ali's hair which was hanging down in loose curls, with some hair from the sides pulled towards the middle of the back of her head, held in place by a diamond hair piece and little faux diamond beads scattered in her dark tresses. 

"Thank you mom." Ali smiled earnestly, she tried not to cry at her mother's words, since less than 10 minutes ago, Grandma Harris, Tammye, Deb and Syd all managed to make Ali ruin her makeup, thus her reapplying it later.

"Okay Sweetheart I'm gonna get my seat." Deb said with a kiss to her cheek before slipping out of the room. 

Pinoe entered just as Deb left and stopped dead in tracks. "Well aren't you a looker." She grinned and placed the box in Ali's hands. "It's from Ashlyn, so if you have something to give her, now's the time to do so."

"Yes I do. Although I feel like we might've got each other the same thing." Ali admitted while picking up a white box that looked similar to the one Pinoe just brought in. 

"Eh I'm sure she'll love it." Pinoe reassured before leaving. 

"Ooo what'd she get you." Kyle asked while putting the finishing touches on her hair.

Ali awwed as she opened the box and lifted the necklace from the box. She opened the slim rectangular shaped locket and immediately fanned her eyes. "Yup, we got each other the same exact thing."

"Now that's just dang stinking cute." Kyle gushed as he looked at the family picture of Ashlyn, Ali, Anna and Andrew. Each parent had a child in their arms as they leaned into each other with their foreheads touching with nothing but love in their eyes for each other and their children. 

"I can't wait to marry her Kyle, like I've never been so impatient like this in my life." Ali admitted. 

"Well you're in luck, because it's time for you to get married." Kyle said with a kiss to her cheek. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

Ashlyn stood with her hands held in front of her waiting for Ali to walk out. They hadn't seen each other the night before and that was enough to make Ashlyn yearn for her woman. 

The flower girl proceeded to throw flowers, a little too enthusiastically, down the lush green grass aisle. The little girl was about to empty the basket of flowers on Ashlyn's feet until Abby reached over and grabbed her niece, placing her on her lap and giving the thumbs up. The entire scene brought rich laughter from everyone's lips, it was quickly quieted down when everyone stood and turned to see Ali being led up the aisle by Mike.

Ashlyn's heart was stuck in her throat as she watched her dad lead one of the loves of her life up to the altar. She watched her dad let Ali go and return to his seat as Ali took her hand to stand in front of her. "You're beautiful, actually more than beautiful." Ashlyn said in awe as her eyes eyes took in the dark haired beauty. Ali wore a long flowing, but tight around the bust and contoured around her torso with a minimal amount of embroidery. The dress only trailed a little bit behind Ali as she stood, and Ashlyn couldn't help but grin when they both wrote their identical necklaces. 

"You don't have to butter me up, you know. We're already getting married." Ali teased but lifted Ashlyn's hands up to kiss her knuckles. 

"I'll butter you up for the rest of our lives together. And once this guy gets us married, there's no going back, you're stuck with me forever." 

"Wouldn't have it any other way Green Giant." Ali grinned before quieting down for the ceremony to start. 

The man officiating their wedding started, time seemed to fly as the words flowed from his lips. Both Ashlyn and Ali said the things they were supposed to before getting ready to state their vows in the presence of their families and friends. 

Ashlyn cleared her throat as she dug into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper. "Ali, I've never really fallen in love before. I've never known when and with who I'd make a family with. I was happy with baseball. I was happy with games and championships. I was happy being with friends and family but then I wasn't happy with that because I met you. I met you and my entire outlook on life changed. You made me stronger Al, you make me a better person. You and our children give me everything to wake up in the morning. I want to be yall knight in shining armor, to love you all, to care for you and protect you. I will always be here for you and our children. I will always be here." 

Ali nodded with a smile. "Time to put your vows to shame, Harris." She teased which made Ashlyn jokingly hold her hand over her heart in mock pain. "Everyone knows my story, everyone saw how I lost hope. I thought I was the problem, I thought I couldn't love therefore I couldn't be loved. I thought I wasn't worth anything, I thought I was forever broken. I was afraid of anything really, but you made all of that seem like less than a sliver of doubt. You are the driving force of why I'm better today, you have seen me at my worst and have brought me to my best. You made love and life seem great and possible again. You broke me out of my shell and now we have friends, families and and children of our own. I would be a fool to let this slip away from me. My heart belongs to you and our children. I am 1000% committed to our family and to you. And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you all know I that I love yall."

As Ali finished, there wasn't a dry eye in crowd. Even the man officiating had a large grin on his face before resuming. The words finished and the end of the ceremony was here. Both women said "I do". Ashlyn cupped her cheek and laid a hand on her waist before leaning down and kissing her wife deeply. Their kiss went on for quite a bit which garnered cheers and catcalls which the newly wed couple ignored. They separated and raised their hands up with large grins on their faces. 

"We're married!" Ashlyn yelled in excitement which made their twins giggle loudly from the front row filling the area with laughter. 

Ali leaned over and kissed their cheek as they walked down to the beach with the photographer awaiting them. Ashlyn quickly rolled up both the sleeves of her dress shirt and slacks before hoisting her wife up in her arms, letting this be the first of pictures to be taken. The photographer loved it and encouraged them to continue as if he wasn't even there, soon plenty of pictures were taken of them alone as a couple before Chris brought over their babies. They each took a child, they wanted to make sure that their children were a big part of their special day even if they were too young to remember it. 

▪▪▪▪▪▪

The newlyweds came into the large gazebo; which held their reception, introduced by Ginuwine's Pony. Ashlyn grinned but shook her head as she knew this was Pinoe's doing. The bleached blond and the entire Senators' team and staff gave the couple thumbs up as the danced a bit scandalously to the music.

"Those idiots would pick this song." Ashlyn said as she pulled out Ali's chair for her.

"Well it wouldn't be normal if they didn't play some kind of raunchy song." Ali replied.

The reception started off very well. The bar opened quite quickly so when the cake cutting came, there were a bunch of semi-tipsy hungry individuals. Pinoe and Syd were practically the life of the party despite it not being their own wedding, but they made sure to tone it down after getting looks from almost everyone there. 

As the reception went on and the guests get their fill on food and drinks, the dance floor lit up and the dj started a slow song for the father-daughter dance. Ali was about comment on how technically there was only one father, until Grandpa Harris held out his hand to his new granddaughter-in-law.

"I think it'd be okay if I steal this dance?" Grandpa Harris asked with his hand outstretched and smiled so sweetly it brought tears to Ali's eyes.

Ali nodded and took his hand, allowing him to lead her onto dance floor. She placed her hand into his and laid her head there as well. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Sweet Pea." Grandpa Harris reassured with a kiss to her hair. "You're a part of this family Sweet Pea. And I'd be a fool not to get this dance with you."

"Well then I'm glad that this is an added perk to being a Harris now." Ali grinned as they continued to sway slowly to the music. Just as the song ended Ali felt a hand on her lower back.

"Mind if I cut in, Gamps?" Ashlyn smiled and took over as her Grandpa moved over. She leaned down and kissed her wife. "I'm sorry your father couldn't be here."

Ali shook her head. "Don't be. I have everyone I love, right here. So I'm happy. I'm perfectly happy."

Ashlyn kissed her forehead before pulling her closer. "Sooo, how was our wedding, wifey? Was it everything you dreamed of?"

"I think we did alright." Ali teased, "I mean, drunk baseball players in one corner. The baby and children's corner. The, no offense, but older people's corner with all the bingo paper and our resident pervert Pinoe being a weirdo."

Ashlyn laughed and pulled Ali closer. "Okay, I can agree on that. But I'm just happy I can finally call you my wife."

 

"You do realize that since we're married, we're now baseball's new power couple?"

"Heck yea, now we just have to find a ship name with Snoogy Woogy or Short Stack with Green Giant. I'm positive we can come up with something." Ashlyn teased back.

"Hmmm nah, I think they'll be hideous either way." Ali said with a head shake. "I think I just like family more."

Ashlyn rubbed her chin as if she was thinking long and hard about the proposed name. "Just the right amount of cheesiness, cuteness and I think we've got ourselves a winner. Family is an incredible name." Ali gave her loving look before joining their lips in a slow kiss as they moved to the music. 

The song ended and the dance floor slightly emptied as some stayed on the floor and other went back to their tables. Ashlyn led Ali over to the children's table before picking up both of their children and jerking her head over to the doorway.

"Join me on the beach?"

Ali nodded, "Of course."

The family made their way over to a small circular shaped garden gazebo that overlooked the ocean. Inside there were padded seats with two piles of thick blankets to ward off the cool Florida night air. Ashlyn made sure both Ali and their children were situated first before joining them. 

"Now I think this is everything I could've wished for. I love our family, friends and the party but some down time like this snuggled into our time, it's absolutely perfect." Ali whispered, so as not to wake their babies. Ashlyn agreed with unspoken words and continued to look into the large expanse of blue Florida water They say there for a while just soaking up the scene and serenity that surrounded the area, before Ali spoke up. 

"Do you remember when I broke down crying one time about my ex-husband?" Ali asked and continued when Ashlyn gave her both her undivided attention and nodded. "You remember me saying that you were the reason why I was able to fight through my insecurities?"

"I will always remember Al."

"I know we should keep the theme happy tonight, since we just got married and all. But everyone in that building, along with you, have my heart. You all were instrumental to me even being able to think about having children, giving love a chance and saying 'I do' to you." Ali smiled and took Ashlyn's hands in her own and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "I know that things won't be rainbows and sunshine from here on out, and I know dam well not to expect perfect because you, our children, our families and friends are enough for me to always feel grateful and like a million bucks." She chuckled softly and continued to rub her thumb over Ashlyn's knuckles. "I just want to say thank you. I know you're going to tell me that I shouldn't, but I will anyways. Thank you for being my spirit and being the reason why I changed my life. Thank you Ashlyn Michelle Harris, I love you."

Ashlyn brought Ali in for one of the most deepest and passionate kisses she could muster. Letting her feelings be conveyed in the intimate gesture as her tounge slipped into Ali's mouth. They were all of inseparable for a few minutes as they reveled in the feeling of absolute love before both broke apart for air. 

Ashlyn placed her palms over her wife's cheeks and rubbed them gently with her thumb. "Al, you're the reason why I fought so hard to make sure you could make it out quite and survive. You gave us two absolutely beautiful children so we could make our family. Our love knows no borders and is forever unconditional. So I want to tell you thank you. Thank you for continuing to fight, thank you for finding your happiness, thank you for making me stronger. Thank you Alexandra Blaire Krieger for being all my reasons why."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end folks. Thank you for always giving me a chance to share whatever ideas fly out of my noggin. You all never fail to make this girl laugh her butt off! :) 
> 
> If I can think of an Epilogue, you guys know I'll definitely do it. Until next time! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what yall think :)


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